Raging Demon Reaper
by AkumaKami64
Summary: "Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change." The raging anger of a sibling is not something to be taken lightly. Not even by a Nergal beast. Especially when said sibling is a Reaper. Diverges from 'Revenge'.
1. Wrath of a Brother

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

Summary: "Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change." The raging anger of a sibling is not something to be taken lightly. Not even by a Nergal beast. Especially when said sibling is a Reaper. Diverges from 'Revenge'.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

The Nergal beast within Junior chuckled darkly as it spoke to itself, as Junior stared up helplessly at the ceiling where the angel had taken Minnie away, into Heaven. The parasitic/symbiotic beast was already intending to use its despairing host to feed on countless souls now that Minnie, Junior's sister and the beast's mistress, was dead. With all the current events, it was little wonder Junior's will was so weak at the moment. His sister was dead and it was his fault...

**"...We have a new home. A new Master,"** The Nergal beast, or one of its mental selves, said in hungry glee.

**"Yes, but he's nothing like her-!,"** The Nergal beast, seemingly the same yet responding to itself, continued only to stop in shock as it felt something. It felt Junior.

What the Nergal failed to realized was how easily despairing sadness can give way to wrathful rage. Junior's mind had assimilated all of Minnie's memories and thoughts and feelings...everything she was, he knew. He saw and felt her as she continuously tried to earn his love and respect. HIM! The one that always envied her, who always tried to put down her accomplishments, the one who got her killed!...The one who she should never have had to even ask for love and respect from...

Junior's eyes glowed red with a fiery glare as the tears ceased to fall. The green splatter-designed trim on his demon form turn to the same crimson as his eyes, as did every orb-eye in the Nergal beast. Said beast was overtaken by the sheer will of the boy's rage, the young reaper's fury burning and subduing the demon's mind; His anger, his hatred, his wrath. All conjured up into an emotionally flaming storm from both Minnie's pent up anger over Junior's dislike for her and Junior's reaction to it- Self Loathing. Right now, Junior hated himself more than anything...Red was all Junior saw from there on out.

Halloween Town paused in its hauntly activities as it felt the rhythmic shaking of the ground, like a heartbeat that was growing stronger with each beat. The denizens of the dark holiday's town stared up in shock and fear as a giant pumpkin-themed machine stood just outside their town, looming over the buildings with red slits in the crack in its armor and orbs bright on its right arm, larger and more deadly in appearance then it's more natural looking left arm. Without any warning, it began to smash and tear into the buildings, sending the monstrous town folks running in fear.

"Junior!" Grim exclaimed as he starred at the behemoth while his brother Jack got Sally to evacuate the town, "He's in there. I can sense him," He voiced, narrowing his eyeless sockets at the creature. Something felt very wrong about this thing.

"You don't say?" Mandy asked dryly as she readied her guns, some of the few things she kept from her days as a human mayor/hitman after marrying Grim, "What's going on, Grim? Is this the bad thing you were telling me about?" She asked, starring down the giant as well, her red eyes glaring into the red lights where she believed the eyes would be. No, she knew it was where the eyes would be. She could feel it starring at them and glaring at everything.

"I'm...not sure," Grim answered hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he should tell Mandy right now that he thought Junior reaped his sister, for whatever reason. The angel taking her up all but confirmed that, "All I know is we have to stop it," He added, his voice harder now. It was a voice Mandy knew well. It was when Grim was at his best, when he showed exactly why he was Death Personified. Honestly, it sometimes turned her on if he didn't almost always screw up the moment and turn back to a wuss.

Within the beast that had been the Pumpkinator, the Son of Death glared at the three figures in front of him. He didn't see his parents and uncle. He didn't really see the rulers of the Underworld and the King of Halloween. All he saw was three souls standing against him while others fled. His mother might have been proud of that under different circumstances. If he wasn't essentially a rampaging animal that sought nothing but destruction without reason or direction.

"Here it comes!" Grim warned as the abomination roared, launching an attack of numerous scythe-ended tentacles at them as the large body marched closer still. The trio put up a great defense against the attack. Jack danced around the attacks and grabbed the tentacles, using them to severe each other. Mandy shot bullets rapidly, all hitting their marks perfectly and practically massacring the scythacles(scythe-tentacles) before reaching her. Grim used his ever sharp and handy scythe to simply cut them down like a farmer cut down crops.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Jack yelled as he used one hand to hurl and twirl around a severed scythacles like a bladed whip, "Any plans?"

"Just hold them off. Reinforcement is on its way," Mandy ordered simply, never ceasing in her shooting. She was glad these things magically reloaded themselves, but wished it didn't take five to ten seconds, 'Then again, that's what two guns are for,' She reminded herself, switching to the other in a second's notice.

Junior growled like the beast he had become and hurled the massive body forward with the mouth open wide to devour them, aiming at the three as they thinned out his scythacles. The pain of losing them didn't even register to him, for it was less them having a single hair pulled out. They were like bug bites. Only annoying if you notice them.

"Fall back! We have to retre...regroup! Move!" Grim yelled, him and Jack running away as the creature quickly approached them.

"Get back here boneheads!" Mandy yelled in annoyance, gun aimed at the pumpkin-themed machine-monster's face as the bone brothers fled,_ 'And just like that, he ruins his own moment, again,' _Mandy thought plainly. A certain reaper wasn't getting lucky tonight...and she could use that as an excuse to let Junior and Minnie sleep in their room if they wanted to. Mandy may be evil in human form, but she wasn't above letting her kids feel safe. After all, she couldn't make them into badasses if they went insane. Or that's what she told herself, at least.

The abomination was almost face to face with the Underworld's queen when it was struck by several spears with magic tips. The red eyed blond looked over her shoulder in light annoyance at the sight of Pain with the Royal Guard, an army of Flaming Tikbalan-Torso and arms of a muscular human, head of a horse, and flames from the waist down, "It's about time!" Mandy said, more to herself than Pain as he stood on a wall with his mace.

"Defend our Mistress! And prepare for glory!" He yelled as the armored elemental creatures charged at the command, ready to defend the royal family to the end. Ironic that they were protecting and fighting it at the same time, technically.

Pain knelt by his queen as his soldiers did their job, "You summoned me, My Mistress?" He asked obediently. He himself found it a bit funny he went from serving Grim, to Mandy, and then both. He would never say it to their faces...but the news of their marriage even made him chuckle a bit, thinking it was a joke. Finding out it had been true was a confusing yet great day for him. And the appointment to head of the royal guard wasn't bad either.

"Did you bring what I asked?" Mandy asked candidly to her servant. She knew they were going to need something big to beat this thing. And short of a Godzilla-type monster, or Cerberus, they didn't have many things like that that they could bring or summon quickly.

Junior glared at the royal guards like a human would flies...or how a human sized frog would, as he started devouring the horseman army as well. Their souls only added to his power, something he was overflowing with, same as his rage. Not good things to mix without a mind that can still think properly under extremes of both.

Junior's rage quieted only slightly, replaced by caution and curiosity as he sensed some kind of magic at play now. While Junior was almost an animal in mind, an animal can still think predatorily. Think like his mother would. Think like a hunter, stalking new prey. Stare it down, find its fear, its weakness. And when he saw the giant sword-wielding creature appear in front of him and start roaring, he was only annoyed at this...prey.

He expected more for some reason. Perhaps he remembered what this thing was supposed to be without remembering how he knew it. Perhaps he could just sense the power of the beast and wasn't use to his own being so large yet. Or perhaps he was just getting annoyed with pests! With a greater roar, and red lights glowing even more sinisterly, the reaper demon opened it giant jaw and swallowed the Beast of Destruction whole. In his mother's words, that was a waste of time. Tasted decent though.

"The beast just ate the beast. What now?" Jack asked simply, a bit shocked by that event- and that was something, considering who Jack Skellington was.

"You were saying?" Grim deadpanned as he looked at a furious Mandy, who looked ready to tear something apart. Namely, Pain.

"Summon the ARCHER!" Mandy roared in her servants face as he held up another banner.

"Yes Mistress! Right away, Mistress!" He answered quickly yet quivering under her rage and began the next chant, "Three suns aligned pour forth their light and fill the archers bow with-...?" He chanted, stopping in confusion as a green beam shot at the monster, almost knocking it off balance.

"Who's your Daddy?" Dan Phantom said with a smirk, reveling in not only being free again, but being able to fight something that presented a challenge. And if this thing could end everything, then it was definitely a challenge!

Junior seethed with his giant new form. More and more just kept popping up! So many annoying pests! So many little...enemies. For the first time since becoming his new, raging self, Junior smirked. It wasn't his father's triumphant or smug smirk. It wasn't his mother's cold or satisfied smirk. No, this was a razor-tooth, blood-red smirk of hungry sadism as he found a solution to his problem. His mother would be proud of the idea. If she wasn't on the other end of it.

"What the hell is going on?" Mandy asked as Clockwork revealed himself while the other ghost attacked the creature that was once the pumpkinator, which was only barely moving anymore.

Clockwork would have continued if the Demon Reaper didn't let out a loud roar, the metal creaking and the flesh seeming to almost squirm, the many eyes darting rapidly. The Master of Time was actually confused for a moment before he realized what had happened and what was happening.

It was a mistake to assume Clockwork knew what the outcome 'would be', only what it 'could be'. It was why he never revealed more than he had to. The power of choice led to millions, upon millions of timelines, and his telling of the future indirectly robbed them of choice to some extent. Clockwork could see all the possible pasts and futures, but seeing the more unlikely events still surprised him at times. In fact, Clockwork was almost sure there were other Clockworks, copies of himself, securing other seperate timelines. After all, he only had domain over time in this universe.

This is all why Clockwork was slightly confused before it happened. He knew this could happen, but it wasn't one of the likely events, "I would suggest getting ready, because this is about to get worse," Clockwork warned as he readied his staff, he himself now an old man.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock as the Reaper Demon almost seemed...to be destroying itself from the inside out. Bulges in the flesh and outward dents in the metal formed, giving the impression it was about to explode. Then, as it collapsed to its knees, it happened. A small, black hand with claws pushed up out of the head of the beast, metal creaking as it pulled its way up. Grim caught Mandy's eyes go a bit wider, but didn't blame her as the small being pulled its way out.

There, standing on the head of the monster, was Junior. Or it looked like him anyway. The coat had been demonified and under the hood could be seen only two red eyes and a jagged and angry smirk. But all of them could sense it, the feeling of a reaper that wasn't Grim. There was no doubt their opponent, whether in his right mind or not, was Junior.

They all had only a moment to be shocked as more of him showed up. Dozens upon dozens of clones of the same Demon-Reaper Hybrid ripped their way out of the flesh, crawled out from beneath the metal, and burst from the eye balls. All in a horrifying perversion of birth. As people of the underworld, the warriors watching were no strangers to terrible and deranged things. In fact, it was practically a part of their very culture. However, none of them could have been prepared to face down a clone army of the Underworld Prince, all with the powers of a reaper and a demon...and all very hungry or very pissed, possibly both.

For a long time, they all just starred. Grim and Mandy with their army, Clockwork, Dan, and Pain. All of them starring and being starred at by the numerous copies of Junior. All starring with eyes so red that Mandy could honestly say Junior took after her to have hate like that in his eyes. The only sound was that of the giant slowly repairing itself, becoming more demon flesh and less machine all the time.

"Grim," Mandy called tonelessly. Grim looked at her and understood the look on her face. It meant that he had better explain fast. Because if anyone, let alone herself, killed the real Junior...well, The Bitch Queen would probably unleash a reign of terror upon all of creation that even Lucifer would be fearful of.

"Don't worry. None of them are the real Junior," Clockwork assured before pointing to the downed orange behemoth that the clones stood on, "The real one is still in the pumpkin body."

"That's all I need to know," Mandy said coldly as she cocked her guns, "For now."

The first clone narrowed his blazing red eyes as the smirk became a hungry grin, a long and pointed tongue slithering out to lick his lips. He let loose a screeching roar at the sky that was quickly joined by the other clones, a chorus of ravenousness that howled through the otherwise silent night. Without further delay, they eagerly leapt for their feast of souls from the abomination that they sprung from.

Clockwork, now a man in his prime, mentally sighed as the reaper-demons descended upon them. It could have all been a lot easier in retrospect. If Junior hadn't been so enraged at himself, Grim and him would already be in the beast, not facing down an army of soul-eating eleven year olds, _'He had to take after his mother, it would seem,'_ He thought, almost amused. While more difficult, this would lead to some very interesting events.

**End of Chapter**

And that's how it starts. I know, it's largely the same at beginning, but everything changes as it goes on. I read Grim Tales a few weeks ago and I was hooked. But my fanficing side was a bit disappointed in a few spots. I feel like Bleedman or the writers downplayed the fact that Junior knows _everything _that Minnie did. Every memory, every thought, every feeling. That should have changed Junior a bit more beyond making him nicer to his sister. So, with that and seeing how few stories there are here about GT, I decided to make my little foothold in this fandom.

So, currently, Junior is so enraged at himself and everything that he can't even recognize anyone...and can now clone himself. If anyone is wondering WHY Junior is going after souls, he's venting. It's basically an extreme version of eating when you're upset, along with the regular recking.. The Nergal-Reaper hybrid just gave him a new substance to eat. Any way, Junior is going to change a good bit even after he calms down some.

Lastly, in regards Clockwork being surprised, I debated this in my head a little. It's kind of like knowing the ending to a movie, but still gasping when it happens. For him, this event was one of those movie moments that gets you even after the first time.

Questions to Ponder- Will Clockwork get Junior to save Minnie still? Is Minnie even still important to controlling the Reaper Beast? How is everyone going to react after Junior comes to his senses, especially his parents? How will they get him to come back at all? Will Junior end up eating his family? What else can he do now? Will Minnie still be a ragdoll? How much will Junior change? Will Junior still befriend Jeff and Mimi?

PS Bleedman is posting new pages on snafu again to any that doesn't know.


	2. Army of Clones

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

Halloween Town was under siege. That was the only way to describe the pure pandemonium that was going on within the town. For this was not the regular pandemonium of the frightful town, no. An army of mostly flaming Tikbalans facing down an army of child-sized reaper-Nergal hybrids while the denizens of the town fled from or hid inside their homes. Against this horde also stood Lord Pain, The Master of Time, The King of Halloween, Death himself, and even Queen Mandy. Under most circumstances, it would seem almost like overkill to have so many great beings on one side.

But this was not like any of the usual foes they faced. They faced not lords of the afterlives, nor power-maddened mortals, nor rebellion of their lands. No, what they faced was far worse than any of that. Grim Junior, Prince of the Underworld, Heir of Death, and now the first of the Demon-Reapers. Junior was now a being that could end all of reality, and was currently blinded enough by his rage to do so. Grim would later laugh at the irony. He himself was Death, Destroyer of Worlds, and yet his son-his eleven year old son-was the Devourer of Afterlives.

_'You'll make a fine Death, me boy,' _Grim thought as he cut off a clone's arm._ 'Assumin we can stop ya here,' _He added as he swiped at it again. He pause after the clone rolled under the attack and out of the way, grabbing its arm in the process. He watched as it slammed the arm back into the shoulder, the Nergal flesh grabbing and fusing with itself as the arm and sleeve became as though they were never injured, "Great, they can pull themselves back together," He commented as he cut at it again, only for it to dodge backwards.

"What'd you expect? He's **your** son after all, bone bag," Mandy pointed out as she shot at one that was dodging her bullets, "And they all seem to be getting smarter," She mentioned. The last clone she targeted hadn't been this hard to shoot down.

"Probably a hive mind, knowing our luck," Grim theorized as he parried the claws of one with his scythe, "Clockwork! Ya better have a plan, mon! We can't keep this up forever!" He yelled as he saw a clone fighting one of the Tikbalans. The small hybrid dodged a spear by leaping over and landing on the weapon, than running up the spear shaft to the horse-headed humanoid. The clone jumped on helmeted face and began ripping at the neck with its mouth, eating the flesh and 'drinking' the soul at the same time.

"I always have a plan, Grim," Clockwork said, sounding amused as a clone jumped at him and missed due to his form changing from an old man to a young boy. The clone pulled it's face out of the ground and looked annoyed at the Time Ghost, "Dan!" Clockwork yelled while conjuring up a medieval sword, looking up at the ghost shooting plasma balls at the clones while they leapt at him.

"Little busy right now!" Dan protested as he kept looking around for any trying to make a jump at him, blasting or dodging them before they made impact.

"It'll get a lot more busy for you if you don't knock out that main body soon!" Clockwork informed, beheading a clone without looking.

"Fine! These things aren't very strong, but there's a lot of them," Dan answered, mumbling the last part to himself in annoyance as he flew up even higher above the fighting. It gave him a moment to take in the sheer carnage going on. Clones ganging up on Tikbalans and eating them alive and dragging them to the ground, horse-humanoids impaling the demon reapers with magic spears, and some of the more foolish residents of this settlement chose to hide indoors- and paid a steep price. A handful of the clones weren't fighting in the street, but ransacking and hunting through the homes for more souls. He even spied one clone throwing a mummy off a roof, _'Ha! This is one brutal kid! Why couldn't Danielle be like this?' _Dan thought with a smirk as he started channeling his plasma for a much stronger attack.

Down below, the first clone snapped his head up and glared at the ghost. He growled, crouching and tensing his muscles before catapulting himself up, like he was shot out of a canon.

Dan threw the large plasma ball, only to blink as a clone was suddenly in the path of the attack, _'A suicide defense?' _He thought, his eyes narrowing as the clone grow a tail. It was long and scaly, and the end was like an axe with blades on both sides. The clone spun the tail and hit the sphere of energy, batting it away like a baseball and destroying another building on the other side of Halloween Town as a result. Dan snarled and shoot the now falling clone in the gut with a ghost beam, sending it plummeting to the ground and skidding in the pavement, tearing up concrete and flinging many clones and soldiers away as a result.

The clone wasn't even phased, merely standing up where he stopped and still glaring at the ghost as the spikes on his head seem to move in aggravation.

"Still standing?" Dan asked to himself, "This one's different...," He realized, before he went wide eyed as the clone sent a plasma ball at him, "What the hell?! Clockwork, you didn't say anything about this thing having ghost powers!" He yelled at the Time Ghost.

"He didn't! He got them from your attack!" Clockwork answered, yelling over the battle. He was currently fighting with a spear, staff, and a clone of his own at his back. The one behind him looked like a soldier from World War 2, wielding a Thompson machine gun.

"Anything else you want to share with us, mon!?" Grim yelled as he cut one down the middle.

"Yeah, look out!" the Master of Time answered as he threw his spear at a clone that had jumped off a building towards Grim, "And they'll all be able to do that soon!" He informed, just as Dan got hit in the back by a plasma ball from another clone. Not a strong one, but it pissed him off a bit

"Mothafook!" The reaper cursed as he barely deflected a claw to the spine.

"Grim, your son is officially scarier than you!" Jack called while wielding two spears from fallen Tikbalans to parry and attack the horde of small soul eaters.

"Grim, Pain! We're running out of an army fast!" Mandy informed angrily, as she leveled every clone she could, knowing that the cavalry wouldn't be here for a while. She was the best shot in any world, but these clones of her son were getting better and better at avoiding them. Not to mention kill shots only kept them down for three seconds max!

"I know, woman! We just have to-!" Grim started, only to be silenced as a beam of yellow-green energy rained down on a group of clones, devastating them and leaving them in pieces. The fighting stopped as everyone looked to the new comer. There, floating in all his black-scaled demonic glory was the bounty hunter Nergal Junior with one arm shape-shifted into a cannon, "Nergal Junior," Grim said in distaste.

"What'd I miss?" The son of Nergal asked casually as he stared at the battle that seemed to have paused with his arrival.

"Grim, the clones," Mandy called, watching with tense muscles as every clone stared at the demon warrior in the sky. She gave the signal for all the Tikbalans to pull away and regroup, the other warriors following suit and started putting some room between themselves and the seemingly frozen clones.

Clone, as in the first clone and the only one with a tail, did something that caught everyone's attention, **"Un..."** He said with wide red eyes, his growling and scratchy voice echoing over the silence.

"Did...that one just talk?" Jack asked, not sure what to make of that.

"Junior?" Nergal said in shock, lowering his canon. Clockwork had failed to give him all the details, it seemed, "Yes, Junior, it's me!" He yelled, hoping to get through the boy. He thought they were fighting the Nergal Beast, not Junior himself.

**"Un...cle,"** Clone said, his tone sounding numb.

"Junior?" Grim called, but got no response, to his annoyance, "He recognizes that wife-humpin bastard, but not us?" He asked out loud.

**"Un...cle...Ner...gal,"** Clone sounded out slowly as his head dropped and his body shook. It almost seemed like he was crying.

"...Oh fuck/fook," Mandy and Grim deadpanned after a moment, both of their battle senses tingling.

Clone's head shot up with a wrathful glare, hand clenched until green blood dripped from the palm, **"UNCLE NERGALLLLLLL!"** Clone screamed as the clones all roared in rage like lions, the underworld earth beneath their feet shaking as their red eyes burned like flames from hell and the glow behind their teeth made it look like they would start breathing the same. The biological father of MiniMandy went wide eyed as the back of his godson's 'main' clone bulged before razor-Nergal wings burst out.

"He just made this all worse, didn't he?" Mandy asked neutrally to no one, sensing that her one time bedmate was going to get the fight of his life.

"I would suggest getting to cover," Clockwork informed calmly as he floated towards an alley, the main clone flying at Nergal Junior faster than an angel falling from grace.

"Why? With that one out of the way, the rest will be-!" Dan started, only to stop in midsentence as the other clones all morphed their right arms into cannons, similar to the one Nergal Junior had sported, and pointed them at their regrouped enemies, "a piece of cake," Dan finished blankly.

"Take cover!" Pain ordered as all the remaining soldiers of the royal guard took cover behind buildings and in alleys, right as the clones started shooting beams of red energy with a black glow.

"Well, this is a fine mess we've gotten into this time," Mandy drawled nonchalantly as she leaned against the alley wall, cocking her guns.

"First Halloween, and me boy nearly ends all the afterlives- still might in fact," Grim said with a sigh as the attacks kept coming, some chipping away at the side of buildings, "I blame you for this, Mandy."

"If by blame, you mean_ 'thanks for passing your genes to Junior,' _then you're welcome," Mandy countered evenly, looking towards the street of death-beams, 'Why are his powers and eyes red when all nergals are apparently green?' She thought to herself, her calculative mind not taking that irregularity as simple coincidence.

"Eh, I've seen worse," Jack commented with a shrug, "Like what happened in 1570."

"You're never goin to let that Saeftinghe thing go, are ya?" Grim asked in annoyance.

Mandy rolled her eyes at that. These skeletons had always seen worse or stranger, "Charles, how long until the rest of the army shows up?" She asked, the wheels in her head turning.

"Assuming we're not overrun and the clones go after them first? I'd say at least ten more minutes, Mistress," He answered, setting his dislocated arm back into place as he did so.

"We have another problem," Clockwork informed, causing the others to groan and Mandy to roll her eyes, "The main body has almost fully healed and readjusted itself, meaning it'll be moving again very soon."

"Which means we need to get your ghost boy an opening fast," Mandy summarized, "Later, someone is going to explain to me what the hell this all is exactly or I will make heads roll," She warned with a glare before she went to the edge of the alley.

"Mandy in mother bear mode. I'll never get use to that," Grim mumbled as he got to his feet as well, blinking as the firing suddenly stopped, "Why'd they stop?"

Mandy slowly poked her head out...and jerked it back in as a beam almost hit her, "Well, that confirms it. They inherited my aiming as well," Mandy said plainly as she mulled over what to do, "Grim, Charles! Get over here! I have an idea."

**Meanwhile**

Nergal Junior barely had time to use his cannon-arm to block Clone's claws from getting close to his neck, and was shocked by the sheer force of the impact, "What's happened to you, Junior!?" Nergal Junior yelled, not knowing why Junior was so angered by him being here.

In response to his question, the red-eyed Nergal-reaper roared louder as his tail swooped around and cleaved into the demon's cannon-arm, making green blood flow out. The green eyed shape-shifter winced and pushed Clone away hard with the cannon before turning said weapon into a regular arm and producing a six foot long claymore, knowing Clone probably wouldn't give him the room or time to use the projectile energy-weapon.

Clone's growl sounded like rumbling thunder as he sprouted tentacles out of his hands, which then formed into a three foot blade emerging from each wrist. Surprisingly, when their blades met, Clone's smaller blades and frame didn't lead to him being pushed aside easily. The duplicate did not budge an inch as his wrist blades blocked the claymore. Nergal Junior was then quickly reminded of the axe-tail as it tried to severe his head. He grabbed the tail just below the blades as he held the claymore one-handed. Before he could do anything with the tail, Clone smirked. The tips of his razor-wings bent to point at him and then extended. He was forced to fly backwards or be pierced by the half-dozen or so razors.

_'Dammit, he's good...too good. There's no way he could have learned how to use these powers this fast...unless-!'_ Nergal Junior thought, before going wide eyed as Clone charged at him again with the two wrist-blades. That wasn't why he went wide eyed though. That was from realization. He brought up his sword to block and grunted, "**JUNIOR**! What Happened To Minnie!?" The Nergal yelled, demanding an answer.

**"...Minnie...?" **Clone asked, almost sounding confused by the name.

"Yes, Minnie! She's the only way you could have gotten these powers and know how to use them! Now tell me what happened!" The father of Minnie yelled, glaring into the red eyes that now looked far more subdued with a distant look.

**"...Dead...Angel...Heaven...," **Clone answered after a moment, the force behind his blades lessening.

"Wha-!...But how?!" Nergal Junior asked, his eyes wide in horror. His daughter, his joy and world, was dead before she had truly lived. Worse than that, she was beyond their power to get back. As much as he loved his daughter, he never saw her getting into heaven; part of being an Underworldian.

**"...My fault...,"** Clone answered, his blades skidding off the claymore as his arms fell limp.

Nergal Junior stared for a good few moments. Both he and Junior's Clone were oblivious to the fighting going on beneath them as they floated there in their own worlds of sorrow, "Is...Is that what this is about?" Nergal Junior asked as he looked at Clone again, "Junior...I know it hurts that Minnie is gone...but you can't destroy everything because of that!" He yelled, hoping he could stop this here and now.

Clone didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Nergal Junior could see it. A single, glowing red tear came down Clone's right cheek, **"My fault..."**

"Junior...it wasn't your fault, I'm sure of that. Minnie gave you her eye, and that is proof enough for me that she didn't believe you responsible," Nergal said slowly as the tear fell from his godson's check and landed down below, "Do you really think this is what Minnie would want you to do with her power?"

Clone visibly tensed at that, **"What...Minnie...wants..." **He repeated with an edge to his voice.

"Junior?" The godfather asked, confused by the change in demeanor.

**"What. Minnie. Wants,"** Clone was now barking out each word, snarling as he clenched his hands again, the blades disappearing.

"Junior, don't-" Nergal Junior called, knowing he had somehow set him off again.

**"WHAT MINNIE WANTS?!"** Clone snapped as his eyes glowed with rage anew, slamming his fists together as they formed into a single, large cannon.

"Shit!" Nergal cursed as he shot up higher into the air, nanoseconds before Junior fired the beam of black-glowing red Nergal-energy, ripping through the air.

**Meanwhile**

"There, the soldiers on the other side know what to do," Jack said, having just climbed out of a manhole. He had used the sewers to get a message to those across the street, not wanting to risk getting shot.

"Good, because some of those clones are starting to move up," Mandy murmured, hearing the clawed footsteps of her transformed and maddened son's copies slowly and cautiously creeping forward. She could also hear small hums from their cannons being charged, _'They've gone from berserkers killing everything in sight, to an army cleaning out an area. Junior, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually doing this all on purpose,' _She thought to herself, vaguely amused by that thought.

"Mistress, are you sure-?" Charles asked nervously, not liking this plan very much.

"Charles," She interrupted sharply, making him shut up.

"Are ya sure ya rather I not do your part me self?" Grim asked, a bit wary as well.

"It's more effective this way," Mandy defended as she walked towards the other end of the alley.

"Right, and you wantin to test these clones has nothing to do with it," Grim called as she left, shaking his head when she didn't stop, _'That woman...My Devil, I love her.'_

"Well Grim, looks like we better get ready," Jack said after a moment, starting to climb up the side of the building skillfully and quickly with his long appendages.

"Yeah, yeah, I'ma comin. Good luck, Pain," Grim said as he floated up to the top as well.

"You too, Master," Lord Pain said, nodding up at his departing liege.

**With Grim and Jack**

Grim sighed as he walked along the roof tops, his brother and he making their way across the gaps as stealth-fully as possible, "I'm...sorry that this turned out to be such a disaster, Grim," Jack said gently, looking depressed himself over what a tragic turn this night had taken.

"It's not your fault, Jack. Mandy and me should have kept a better eye on those two, knowin how dangerous this place can be," Grim said, massaging his skull.

"You think everything will turn out okay?" Jack asked sympathetically.

"They always do, somehow. Don't know how, mon, but they do," Grim answered before chuckling quietly, "If Junior is anythin like his motha, he'll tear down the pearly gates to get his sista back," The reaper joked, only for him and his Pumpkin King sibling to stop and blink. They shared a look.

"That...is a scary thought," Jack said slowly, "And one I'm willing to believe at the moment."

"...Never speak of that again. I don't need Mandy gettin any ideas," Grim said grimly as they continued on atop the roofs, closer to the giant body and the main group of clones.

**End of Chapter**

And another one bites the dust! Hope you all enjoyed this piece. As you can see, things are starting to diverge from the comic more and more. And no, Nergal Junior isn't really early. Given that Clockwork and Grim probably would have been in and out by now if compared to the comic, he might actually be a little late. Yes, there is a reason Junior keeps snapping about...everything, basically. It'll be explained next chapter or the one after. Any way, I hoped you all enjoyed this little battle and hope you enjoy how it continues.

Also, in regards to Nergal Junior not knowing what was going on- we have no idea how much Clockwork informed him of the situation before arriving there or if anyone gave him a summary after he did. As seen in Afterbirth, althoguh no longer canon, there's more than one way to get Nergal Powers. He could have simply thought someone tried to get both reaper and nergal powers and screwed up.

Important Note- From now on and until he is dubbed otherwise, Junior's main clone is labeled as Clone. I'm doing this beause he IS different from the other clones and so no one gets confused between Clone, Junior, and regular clones in later chapters. They are all the same person, but they are different bodies and that can get confusing.

Questions To Ponder: Why are Junior's eyes and power red instead of green exactly? What is Mandy's plan and where is she going? What are Grim and Jack going to do? Will they be able to stop the gaint body before it's up and gonig again or will they have to fight it and the clone army? Will Mandy get Junior to attack Heaven one day? Did Junior/Clone get any other ghost powers? How is Clone different from the regular clones? Why is Junior snapping and getting angrier with Nergal Junior? Why does everything set him off? Will he kill his Uncle or will Nergal Junior strike down Clone thinking he's the real Junior? How will this delay effect what's going on with Minnie's soul?

Side Note- The Saeftinghe is a reference to a legend regarding the All Saints' Day flood of 1570.

Hope you all enjoyed this. AkumaKami64 signing out. R&R!


	3. Sword of Tengu

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

nightmaster000- Not sure. Still, figuring Chi out a bit.

bubbajack- Well, I hope this excites you as much as the last chapter.

J-U- Your theory will be comfirmered or denied within...three chapters or less. So keep an eye out!

coldblue- I love your enthusiasm for my questions. You are one of the few that actually try to answer them these days. I'm not even sure if anyone notices them. And, I must admit, you have given me more than a few ideas(for this and other stories) with your suggestions and answers, and have guessed more than a few right- or not wrong in some complicated cases. I promise that if I use anything you answered/suggested that I didn't think of first, I'll credit you. So, I will continue with the awesome-chapter-supplying and I hope you continue with the grandly-in-depth reviewing!

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

**AN: For the record, I've decided to stick with calling Junior's giant body his Reaper-Beast form/body.**

Within the main body of the Reaper-Beast, the soul of Junior glared with red eyes at everything his clones saw. This giant form he had taken up was almost healed from the clone-regeneration, meaning he could end this annoying squabble and continue on. On to what, he wasn't sure. His only goal was to go on, with no reason or direction or plan to the vague objective beyond killing and feasting upon all that stood in his path.

Of course, there was one priority clear in his mind. One thing that stood vividly clear through the red haze. He was going to kill the one called _'Uncle Nergal'_, even if he had to use the entire force of the Reaper-Beast form to do it. His tentacles twitched angrily and the thorns on his head bristled in waves as he saw the demon through the eyes of his head Clone-The clone he had made specifically to be his second body while using this form, which despite the benefits, was a bit more cumbersome than a smaller form could be; hence the clone army.

Speaking of clones, he had thought to make more with the souls they had devoured. However, that would only weaken the Reaper-Beast. Not to mention he liked having some spare power on hand. The Demon-Reaper turned his mental eye towards other matters while Clone dealt with _'Uncle Nergal.'_ The Horse-Faced army was scattered and hiding in the streets, as were the rest of his enemies. Yet...he began to grow weary as his scales tingled. Even if he couldn't remember his family in his current state, he somehow knew not to take them lightly-especially the red-eyed one.

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

The Son of Nergal grunted as he flew out of what just might be a literal death-ray. Clone's cannon was strong, but he wasn't fast enough to keep it aimed at Nergal Junior while he was moving. Unfortunately, said demon also couldn't get close enough to attack without risking a point blank attack. As for his own guns...

He smirked and flew up high in an arc until he was above Junior by about fifty feet with his own arm formed into a cannon as well. Clone fired his red beam and Nergal returned fire with his yellow one, the Reaper-Hybrid seemingly with the advantage. The struggle between rays went on for a few moments before Nergal Junior's stopped and the black-glowing red Nergal-beam hit him, exploding on impact and causing a large cloud of smoke to form.

Clone floated with his dual-arm-cannon tense for another shot, starring at the cloud with his narrowed red eyes. He didn't believe for a moment that his foe was simply disintegrated without a trace left behind.

**With Mandy**

The Queen of the Underworld sighed as she stood in a far off, four-way cross-shaped alley. She needed a little space for what she was about to do. It had been a long time since she had used this particular weapon. It was so dangerous that she had it place in a pocket dimension only she could access instead of placing it in her vault. This thing...it was not something she ever intended to use. For many reasons.

She inhaled for a moment as she heard another blast from above. She chanted in a low voice and in a language with words she didn't even know the meaning of. She had memorized these words a hundred times. There was a spark in the air before her, her words echoing throughout the alley. The spark grew until there seemed to be a lightning bolt right in front of her. The 'bolt' opened to form a rift, sparks of electricity flying all around. Without fear or hesitation, she reached in and grabbed it. The first weapon she received after becoming Grim's wife.

"Never thought I'd see you again," She said to the weapon as it sparked with an electric growl...

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

Nergal Junior shot down out of the cloud like a bullet, his cannon-arm now a blade. His shocked godson's clone fired again at the shape-shifter. However, the demon managed to stay just out of the beam as he closed in, circling around the stream of Nergal-energy to keep Clone from hitting him. Clone grunted in irritation as his shot ended, allowing Nergal Junior to cleave the blade halfway down Clone's double-arm-cannon.

The Clone of Grim Junior roared in rage and pain, snarling at his 'godfather' and saw how he survived the last attack. He had used his own wings and tentacles as a shield, damaging them, but not beyond usage of the wings. Nergal Junior smirked in triumph as his spare arm formed into another cannon. His victory was short lived as Junior's dual-arm-cannon changed into a giant mouth. The jaw formed sideways where the cut was, putting the demon right in the mouth of sharp teeth; which is why Nergal Junior found himself trapped in Clone's new set of giant fangs which were trying to bite off his torso, trapping his cannon arm at his side and making it hard to move his blade-arm.

_'F-fuck! Didn't think he could do that!'_ Nergal Junior thought to himself, feeling his arms bleeding heavily as his bones started straining under the pressure of Clone's arm-jaw, _'Minnie was a natural...but even she couldn't do stuff like this yet,' _He thought in amazement, before smirking bitterly, _'Guess Minnie dying woke up some of Mandy's genes in him,' _He mused as he decided to try something...

**With Grim and Jack**

"Dat boy is definitely Mandy's child," Grim said in an annoyed voice as he and his brother watched the fighting above.

"Dare I ask what makes you say that now?" Jack asked, raising his non-existent eyebrow.

"He is fightin and beatin, maybe even killin dat wife-humpin bastard of a scaly demon! Only Mandy's child could do dat in a way dat is un-enjoyable for me," The reaper explained with a sigh as he looked down from the roof top. Over a hundred clones in total with three two-dozen groups going down three alleys to smoke out and hunt down the remaining Tikbalan army. The remaining few dozen clones were guarding the giant body that they had all sprouted from.

Jack looked on sadly as he saw his beloved town more damaged than he ever remembered it being. Who knows how many dead, several buildings destroyed, and the fight wasn't even close to being over. _'Most Horrible Halloween Ever,' _Jack thought in bitter irony, _'At least when this is all over, we can all say this will be a night no one will ever forget,'_ He thought hopefully. He knew Oogie was to blame for this, the fact that Grim tracked Junior all the way to the gambling-monster's hide out revealed that much. What exactly happened, only Junior could explain now...

"Ready, Pumpkin King?" Grim asked with a smirk as he readied his scythe.

Jack returned the smirk as he erupted into flames, turning into his Pumpkin King form, a scarecrow with a fire-breathing jack-o-lantern for a head, **"Whenever you are, Brother Death," **He said in a darker voice, flames jumping from his grinning mouth.

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

"You're not the only one with a tail," He said with a smirk.

Clone went wide eyed at that. He looked down on instinct as the eyes on his legs looked around Nergal Junior's lower region for activity...and saw nothing.

"Made you look!" Nergal Junior yelled as his hair turned into a mini-cannon and shot Clone point-blank in the face, making him howl in pain as he fell backwards and downwards, his arm-cannon-turned-mouth dissolving as he did. Pressing his advantage, he stabbed Clone through his small chest with his blade-arm, before Clone fell out of reach,_ 'Sorry Junior,' _Nergal thought to himself, shoving the clone up high and retracting his blade before slamming the muzzle of his cannon-arm into Clone's torso, blasting the wound with the strongest beam he could manage before it had a chance to heal, sending him flying away from the Nergal demon.

If Clone screamed, it was lost in the blast as his Nergal-flesh was shredded from his reaper-bones before he fell to the underworld's surface like a star from the heavens...

**With Pain**

Lord Charles Pain gripped his spiked mace tightly, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The cannons would rip him and his men to shreds before they ever got close, but the same would happen if they attacked too late and the clones realized where they were. He had to smirk at the situation, even as he tried to fight it down. He had watched over and helped raised Prince Grim Junior and Princess MiniMandy almost from the day they were born. He always knew those two would be great when they grew up-and how could they not be? Birthed by his Mistress, one of the darkest souls in the Underworld, and raised by his Master, Death himself, as his own children.

Nobody ever expected Junior to be this great this soon though. For what else could you call the one who singlehandedly slaughtered the Royal Guard of the Monarchs of the Underworld if not great? The Flaming Tikbalan Army originally numbered over a thousand and The Reaper-Beast on its own had devoured a fourth of them all and the clone army had torn through at least another fourth between the fighting and retreating. That left him with five hundred at best…never had they faced an enemy this overwhelming. Never did they imagine they would be warring against the heir to the very throne they served.

He was brought out of his musing by one of the lieutenants giving him two thumbs up, telling him they were ready on their end and the ones in the next alley over were as well. He nodded in confirmation and returned the gesture, saying things were ready in his alley and the one in the opposite direction as well. Their part in the plan was simple enough. When the time was right, fifty Tikbalans would charge on each of the streets, along with himself. They just had to distract the clones long enough.

"Now!" Pain roared, charging out and slamming his mace into the large Nergal-eye of one clone's cannon, the horse-headed soldiers charging out after him with their spears ready. Charging into the horde of Undying Demon Reapers...

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

Nergal Junior panted as his wounds healed while he stared down at the building where Clone landed. There was a smoke trail from where he fell to where he landed, crashing through the ceiling and into the building itself. There hadn't been any movement or noise since the initial crash, but he couldn't see through the dust and smoke to confirm if...if Junior, or rather his clone, was dead. Or deader than he already was, at least

_'Guess I injured him beyond his regeneration could handle,'_ He thought somberly, debating if he should blow up the building for good measure. He lifted an eyebrow as the smoke started to clear and he could make out Clone's form; what he saw almost made him flinch. With the demon-flesh no longer concealing the bones, it was unmistakably Junior. There was still some Nergal-meat on his bones withering and slowly growing back, but the skull was completely exposed and so was where Nergal Junior stabbed him in the chest. The bones were already healed, if they were truly ever broken, but the skull...the all too familiar skull of his godson, singed hair and the eye of MiniMandy in his right eye socket, glared hatefully at his flying form.

"That's enough, Junior! It's over! If you don't stop now, you're going to get yourself killed!" The Son of Nergal yelled at the Son of Death, pointing his cannon at the maddened child again. He would have added in how it would make Minnie's death in vain, but with the way Junior was acting, he wasn't positive it wouldn't just set him off more.

The hybrid just panted hard for a few seconds before smirking at his godfather and...chuckling. Clone chuckled a cold laugh, as if Nergal Junior had just said something so pathetically stupid that it was hilarious. He then spoke in a voice that resembled his normal one with a demonic echo, **"Over...**_**for you!" **_He yelled in triumph.

Nergal Junior looked confused for all of one second before he screamed as he was slammed hard into the ground. He looked over his shoulder and realized in horror what had happened. The Reaper-Beast, the giant Nergal-Pumpkin thing, had reached out and was now crushing him against the ground with its right arm, _'Shit! This is not good! There's no way I can wrestle this hand off me!' _He thought frantically, trying to figure a way out, _'If I had enough room, I could try and break through the street and hope there's a sewer underneath, but it's taking everything I got not to become a pancake!' _He reasoned, pushing against it with all his might...

The Reaper-Beast screamed in agony as its right hand was sliced, burned, and blown off all at once- much to Nergal Junior's relief. The latter looked up to where he had seen two attacks coming from and saw Grim and Jack, ducking on the rooftop from attacks now and returning fire when possible. They had supplied the slicing and burning, _'But what was that big flash?' _He asked himself as he picked himself up...and then he saw her, approaching from the right end of the battlefield.

Queen Mandilin walked with a deadly calm about her. In her hand was a sword. On its guard were three golden blade-guards that were equal distant from each other, resembling claws. The grip was white with a gold strand that curled around and down the grip, connecting the blade-guard to the golden pommel of the sword. The blade itself glowed bright blue as electricity seemed to dance around as it hummed ominously.

Nergal Junior had only seen Mandy wield this blade one other time before she had sealed it away. The sword that destroyed armies, crushed castles, and allowed its original wielder to conquer all of Japan. The sword that was made from mixing sorcery and technology into one weapon. The sword that burned the hands of anyone that touched it...The Sword of Tengu!

"Stop gawking!" Mandy ordered sternly as she walked by him, cutting off the head of a clone without looking as the sword's electricity reached out and blocked all the Nergal-rays of death aimed at its wielder even as light smoke rose from Mandy's hand. She swung it and blasted eight clones with a single bolt of magic-electricity from the blade, "He's not done with you yet," She informed simply, not even looking as Clone shot out of the building and landed on the roof. His body was fully healed with his wings, demonic hood, and tail all restored. In one of his hands was a dead rat that he tossed into his mouth hungrily, chomping away as a mess of blood poured down his chin, mixing in with the red spatter trim of his coat. In his other hand was a small, withered wing of some kind. He took one look at it and snorted, tossing it aside.

"He feasted on the souls and bodies of the animals and monsters in there to refuel his power," Nergal Junior realized in an even tone to himself, a bit surprised, but not as much after everything else that had happened.

Mandy rolled her eyes at his behavior, "Obviously. Which means you wasted your opportunity to end this fight. Now get your ass in gear before he makes you his next snack," Mandy snapped as she felt the eyes of the Reaper-Beast glaring at her, felt the glare of her son with it. A glare she returned, "I've got the rest covered,." She added, walking towards the clones as they all snarled at her angrily.

Nergal Junior just nodded as he kept his eyes on Clone, not daring to argue with Mandy at this moment...

**In the Reaper Beast**

Grim Reaper Junior roared in rage at the loss of his form's hand, the flames of his soul burning the hottest they had yet as he glared at _**her!**_ The red eyed enemy he had been fighting earlier, the one who did not run from him. He should have pushed on and devoured her soul when those pests of an army showed up. He would have had he known she would be this much of an irascible and persistent foe.

He allowed his rage at the set-back to fade into his already overflowing well of hatred as he observed the situation. The rest of the horse-headed army was led by the green-skinned one to attack his attacking clones that were scouting them out, the red-eyed one was fighting the clones defending his Reaper-Beast body with a new weapon, the two skeletons were on a nearby rooftop giving her covering fire, and _'Uncle Nergal'_ was fighting with his main clone.

...Something was very wrong, Junior realized. Even an animal can do basic math in context. The two ghosts were missing and he had not devoured or killed enough of the enemy army for only this few to be left; there were far too many missing. A regular animal would assume its prey had fled, but Junior was a Demon Reaper. He could 'smell' their souls with the Reaper-Beast better than his clones could, they had not left. So, where did so many enemies vanish to?

Nergal Senior sighed to himself in depression as he watched it all happen, standing some ways away from the soul. He had long since given up trying to snap the boy out of his mental autopoiesis of rage and hatred. Even if the representation-of-Nergal was in his sights, Junior just ignored his godfather's father's presence, possibly not even registering the voice while focusing on the battle, _'So, this is what happens when you combine a demon, my species no less, with reapers?' _He mused to himself, looking at the carnage through Junior's eyes, _'I suppose this is why Reapers can't naturally reproduce at all, much less with other creatures. We would have all died out ages ago...,' _Nergal realized before eyeing the son of death curiously, _'But what does that make you, Little Death? A freak of nature that is unlikely to appear again...or the forefather of a whole new race?' The Progenitor of the Demon Reapers?' _He wondered, curious what the future would hold for this boy...if there was any future at all.

The great demon from the center of the earth couldn't help feeling nervous as he saw Junior smirk wickedly once again. The hybrid knew exactly where his foes were hiding. If they had not left and they could not be found on the earth or in the sky, that left only one place they could be. Down Below!

**End of Chapter**

Chapter Three Complete! And what a fun chapter it was to write! I was afraid it would seem a bit choppy with the jumping arond, but I think this fits together pretty well. Start and end the chap in the same place. So, yes, Mandy has the Sword of Tenju from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's been modified or upgraded a bit, and even Mandy doesn'twant to keep it lieing around- and she has Horror's hand in that vault! And yes, I threw in Jack's Pumkin King form from Oogie's Revenge. Surprised Bleedmen didn't do that during the canon fight with the Reaper-Beast. For the record, Junior doesn't really remember Nergal Junior, he just has that mental label for him stuck. And I'm sure you can all guess where the remaining troops are. For those of you that are a bit confused on the numbers, it's three-hundred fifty Tikbalans missing.

Anyway, Nergal Jr and Clone continue their fight-yes, I had to do the hair-cannon thing, it was begging to be done with Nergal Jr's hair style!- and boy is Junior pissed with his godfather. Clone got a monster and rat snack to recharge, Mandy is taking the feild by storm, Jack busts out his pumpkin king fire-powers, Grim actually saves Nergal Junior, Pain is going spartan on the clones, the Ghosts are MIA, Nergal Junior is finally getting some personal time with his godson, Nergal Senior is playing Observer, and Junior is crunching numbers.

So, now onto the Questions to Ponder: Will Mandy's sword turn the tides of this battle? How did she even get it? And why did she not want to use it, beyond the burning hand thing? What exactly is MAndy intending to do? Will Jack and the town hold a grudge against Junior for this night? Will Pain and his men be killed before Mandy's plan can succeed? Has Junior figured out the plan? Will he ruin it before it can take effect? Is Nergal Senior right about Junior starting a new kind of reaper race or will our hybrid be one of a kind? Where are Clockwork and Dan any way? Will Clone/Junior or Junior/Reaper-Beast kill/devour Mandy, Nergal Junior or anyone else close to him? Will Nergal Senior try to interfere? Even if Clockwork and Grim get into the Reaper-Beast, will Junior even calm down and coroperate?

Random odd fact- Lord Pain's weapon is labeled as a 'spiked cudgel' on the wiki for GT. I don't see much different between it and a mace though.


	4. Right Hand of Death

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

**DamienBlack92**- Glad you enjoy the mayhem!

**nightmaster000**- Ohhh, HIM will make a move soon, you can trust him to do that much. As for Clone, well, he seems to become a fav topic among the fans here. But no, he's not evil- no more than Junior is at least. I'll consider Chi down the lane and Mimi will be showing up soon.

**bubbajack**- Well, I don't know if what Junior counts as crazy or not, but here it is. And I think I still jumped around a bit this chap, bit more than I thought I would.

**J-U**- Yep, makes you wonder about all the little monster children Junior might create.

**DPSS**- I honestly have no idea where the 'Clone is/will be a separate person' thing came from. It's not in my plans for now, it did give me an idea for a gag in the story. Thanks for your answers, most of them are answered in this chap or future ones! Also, I think Junior would just have power over time if he at Clockwork.

**Logan**- Welcome!

**Cf96**- Probably not.

**coldblue**- Cold, you don't have to apologize for not getting to the fic immediately. You got there in the first twenty-four hours, that's pretty fast in my opinion, especially with how long your reviews are. Any way, I'm glad you're enjoying the battle and the delay in Junior going to save Minnie will actually play a part soon. As for Clone- I'll be honest I never had plans to make him his own being. At least not totally. It's complicated and I'd rather not give it away encase I don't use what I have planned. For now, just consider him Junior- which, technically, all the clones are in the end. However, you will get to see what the power difference is before the true end of the battle and he will eventually get a nickname, probably. As for Junior going off to save Minnie, it'll happen very soon- next chapter, probably. Chi-...Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one that suspects Aku mating with Dexter to make her. Horror Hand...you may have inspired something for one of the sequels to this story.

Thank you, as always for the many answers. I know about Brandon Storm and have skimmed his story a bit- I haven't been in a reading mood lately. His fic is pretty good from what I've seen...even if I'm not fond of the part about just HOW Minnie was made to get over her feelings for Junior. However, I'm glad to see more authors are popping up. Speaking of which- another one by Darkingdom showed up. As for 'Always Your Brother', it is on the back-burner for a bit while I decide what to do with it. As for the AU you want, I got more than a few ideas that would fit that role.

Lastly, about your question on the Etunaz review about my story updating- I update and publish when I get into the mood for a fic. I've been loving this fic, but I update others occasionally and I publish when I 'think' I got the plot figured out.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

**AN BIG NEWS: I have created a GT forum here on FF, hopefully to inspire and help other authors with GT ideas. That and just for us GT fans to have a spot to ourselves. Here's the link, have fun! Feel free to post your own topics!**

**/forum/Grim-Tales-from-the-DevilGod/134945**

Nergal Junior stared down Clone as the latter crouched atop the roof like a cat waiting to pounce on a mouse. Clone was fully or mostly reenergized and healed while Nergal Junior was injured and his power was being taxed by the regeneration. The worst part was that he didn't understand. He understood Minnie was dead, that she had given Junior her powers, that Junior was insane with grief and rage, and even that Junior had the ability to devour everything now.

What he didn't understand was why him? Why was Junior singling him out with his most powerful clone? Did he think in this maddened state that Nergal Junior was a bigger threat than Mandy or Grim? No, if that were the case, he would be attacking Mandy now that she was blowing up his little army. The conversation from earlier rang in his head...Junior returned to being enraged upon being told about what Minnie would have wanted. Could that be it? Could Clone smell that Nergal Junior was Minnie's father? Was he focusing his rage on everything in the memory of Minnie dying and just focusing on the similar smell or something?

Or did Junior really just hate him this much? He didn't know and he couldn't afford to dwell on it, not now; not while he was facing down his monster-of-a-godson. Not while he had an underworld to help save. Clone must have sensed the resolve in his enemy steeling, for he allowed himself to fall forward before using his legs to propel him with one great kick away from the building and towards the shape-shifter, claws gleaming menacingly in the moonlight.

**With Mandy**

Mandy sliced through yet another clone, blasting several others with the same swing. Normally, she would fight with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other. However, the Sword of Tengu was something she needed to use both hands to wield properly; partially but not completely because it burned her hand. Another reason because aiming this thing was a lot trickier than a gun. If the tip was pointed even a millimeter off where she thought it was pointed, she would miss and keeping it completely steady needed both hands. The burning made aiming it just a bit harder. Thankfully, her immortality even healed nonlethal wounds, so she didn't have to worry about it burning all the way to her bones...for a while, at least.

Her plan was going remarkably well. Pain and his troops were holding their own, for now, which distracted the bulk of the clones. Grim, Jack, and herself were handling the remaining ones near the Reaper-Beast and she was gambling on the hope that it wouldn't be fully on its feet again before they were ready. Nergal Junior, while not in on the plan, was helping out unknowingly. That head clone was a variable she wasn't entirely sure they could have dealt with without him.

The other clones died. Sure, they just put themselves back together or healed and got right back up, but they did die for a few seconds against lethal wounds. That one? No, he didn't die. He took whatever they threw at him and threw it all back with interest before the Nergal flesh could even regenerate over his bones. Worse than that, he was smart and he was strong. She had felt the force of one of the clones while blocking an attack. They would never be able to harm Nergal Junior at their level, but that one was tearing into him. The clones only had a fraction of the power the Head Clone had.

That made her a bit apprehensive. If the Head Clone was several times stronger than the regular clones, did that mean the real Junior was even more powerful than the Head Clone, regardless of his form? Or was the Head Clone a good estimate for Junior's power level? It was a variable that she couldn't account for, something she didn't like in battles, but something she had to work around all the same. After all...the likelihood of them having to fight the real Junior was a very real possibility even if they got him out of the Reaper-Beast.

With that thought in mind, she decimated another dozen clones with a single swing, the sword's magical defenses keeping their attacks from reaching her. The clones still healed and reassembled from the attacks, but they took much longer to do so.

**With Jack and Grim**

**"Duck!"** Jack warned as he shot a large fire ball at where Grim had been standing, hitting a clone hard with the sphere of magic flames and sending it off the building in a fiery fall.

"Jump!" Grim yelled, slicing at his brother's feet, who jumped just in time. The cannon-armed clone behind him, however, lost everything below the thighs.

**"This takes me back!"** Jack yelled, unholy glee in the voice of the usually good natured being. He grabbed the downed clone, roared a flaming roar onto its face, and tossed it onto another one climbing over the ledge.

"You said it, mon!" Grim yelled with a smirk, reaping seven in one long swing and remembering a time long ago where all the worlds and boundaries were less fixed then they were now.

**"Time to turn up the heat!"** Jack yelled as he jumped to the nearest corner of the roof, and sent a long wave of fire along both walls, burning the clones off.

"Nice one, me brother!" Grim praised with a laugh, tossing the last of the clones on the roof off before running to the edge, "You cover Mandy!" Grim yelled as he sent slices of reaper energy to keep the clones down and blocking blasts with his scythe.

**"Right,"** Jack said, his pumpkin grin turning just a bit more sinister. He may not blame Junior, but he was still enraged by what was happening to his town. This seemed like a good opportunity to..._vent_. He reached into his own flaming mouth and pulled out a fireball that was so dark a red, it was almost like it was flames of blood,** "This should help,"** He said, reeling back his arm and throwing it towards Mandy's area before going back to helping his brother.

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

Clone growled in irritation as kicked himself off Nergal Junior's arm, which he had raised in defense. He didn't growl because of his opponent though. He was linked to all the clones and 'saw' what the dark fire ball had done. It hit one clone and engulfed five others in hellish flames that didn't die out even when the clones were naught but skeletal corpses, unable to heal. At some point this fighting had developed from an annoying inconvenience into a major setback. He needed to end this. **NOW!**

While still in the air, Clone sprouted his wings again and flew into the air, to Nergal Junior's surprise. The demon watched as the duplicate rose roughly fifty feet before spinning around, one arm formed into a canon. Nergal Junior tensed, ready to dodge, but the shot never came. He looked up in confusion at the red eyes of the hybrid, who only snapped out two growling words, **"Last! Shot!"**

Nergal nodded in understanding as his own cannon-arm formed; one last attack to finish this. He didn't have much choice, in all honesty. Up until now, Clone had been launching a vicious assault on him and never gave him time to form a weapon or the room to use one properly. And every defensive move on Nergal Junior's part resulted in another gash through his armored skin. It was almost like training with his father again, for few humanoid creatures could cut through a Nergal's armored skin unless it was another Nergal. And a fight between Nergals usually became a contest of stamina…something that Clone currently had in spades.

The two demonic titans lined their cannons at each other, the large eye on each cannon glowing menacingly as they charged. With a roaring burst of power, both beams fired and clashed. The shockwave from the two forces pushing against each other created a great gust of wind that could be felt throughout and around Halloween Town, all the way back to the Hinterlands and beyond even that. But the warring clones and Tikbalans paid it little mind after the first second, the armies pausing only to individually steel their bearings as to not be blown about.

**With Grim and Jack**

The two reapers should have expected it, but they didn't. They yelled as their corner of the roof caved in under them, sending them crashing to the top floor, which then gave way for them to fall to the one below that. The two brothers groaned in pain, but quickly defended themselves as the clones descended from the top floor and jumped through the windows.

**"You okay, Grim!?"** Jack yelled through the dust as he kicked aside one that jumped at him.

"Yeah. Sneaky little bastards," Grim grumbled, his frustration getting the best of him as he blocked one with the staff of his scythe, "We need to get back up dere!"

**"Easier said than done!"** Jack retorted as one bit into his left arm, prompting him to ram it against the wall to loosen its grip.

Back on the roof, thirteen clones lined the roof as they each formed a cannon-arm and aimed at the clashing beams...

**Nergal Junior V Junior-Clone**

The Son of Nergal smirked as he saw his beam was gaining ground against Clone's. He was pumping everything into this, hoping to put an end to this even if it might put him in danger from the rest of the clones.

The demon went wide eyed as he saw at least a dozen clones on a roof top out of the corner of his vision aiming in his direction, _'Junior, you cheating brat!'_ He mentally cursed, berating himself for assuming that Junior would fight fair, let alone while in such a state. However, he was very confused when the clones fired, but not at him...they were heading towards Clone instead, _'Wha-?'_ He thought in bewilderment before he saw just what they were doing.

The red beams were all hitting Clone's cannon-eye...and Clone's beam was getting stronger. Somehow, Clone was absorbing his clones' attacks and using the energy to amplify his own. Hence why Nergal Junior's blast was quickly losing the battle as the black-glowing red beam almost engulfed the yellowish green one. Nergal Junior would have considered jumping out of the way, but knew that the minute he let up, that beam would hit him before he could get away. And he couldn't block it again; this was far too strong to try tha-

He didn't get a chance to finish that thought as the red death-ray blew right through his opposing beam, engulfing him and tearing him asunder, much like how he had done to Clone earlier. The attack sent the demon through the stone street and into the sewer. Clone wasn't done though...He took the still-firing beam and shot it slowly across the battlefield the town had become. To an outside observer, it would seem like madness. The beam hit the areas between where his clones were fighting Pain's forces and where the Reaper-Beast body was. It didn't hit a single enemy and actually took out some of his own clones.

With that job done, Clone flew down to where Nergal Junior had been, to make sure the job was truly done.

**With Mandy**

_'He knows!' _The Queen of the Underworld mentally yelled with wide eyes, deflecting a beam from a clone. She had known what the Head Clone was doing before the beam finished its arc across the monster-village. He was collapsing the sewers behind the forces she had sent underground, _'But why not simply take them out with the laser...unless...,' _She mentally realized, looking towards where Clone was flying. _'He's going in after them!' _She concluded, assuming that Nergal Junior had been blasted into the town's sewer. There was no way her forces could fight that one and hope to win, much less in such closed spaces.

She blasted one last shot at the group she was fighting, scattering them, before running towards where Clone was heading. She never noticed the group of clones smirking as she fled. However, she knew something was wrong the moment the beams stopped firing at her. She stopped just in time to feel the first one. The ground shook violently, causing several buildings to collapse or fall over. Mandy turned and saw what she had suspected. The Reaper-Beast was stomping its leg onto the ground, trying to break through to the sewers.

Worse yet, she saw why the clones had stopped firing. Those not fighting Pain's forces or the Grim Brothers had lined up in front of the Reaper-Beast, smirking evilly at her. If she tried to fire at the monster, they would jump to shield it, and there were enough of them to give the abomination the time it needed. And while she could mentally stand the pain of using the Sword of Tengu, her hands would eventually go numb from it.

_'Damn...Not bad, son, not bad at all,' _She thought, having to give props to her son for playing her like that. The foot came down again, even harder, and Mandy honestly wondered if this town would still be standing at all. That was when she got an idea. She lifted her sword and pointed at the Beast, making the clones tense. Then she fired...at the ground, to their confusion. She blasted several times at three spots in the ground.

Junior and his clones realized too late what she was doing. Three holes to the sewers were open, the Tikbalans right below them, "Get up and out there, now!" Mandy commanded loudly, bringing the soldiers out of their confusion as they started storming out of the sewer.

**In the Reaper-Beast**

Junior chuckled sinisterly to himself as he saw what the red-eyed one had done, **"Too Late!"** He barked out as he readied the Reaper-Beast to lift its leg...only to be tackled by Nergal Senior, to his shock.

"Sorry Junior, but this has gone on long enough!" He stated, holding the smaller and younger male in a head lock, keeping him from controlling the Reaper-Beast. Despite only being a mental manifestation of the real Nergal, he still had a good deal of strength.

Junior thrashed and clawed to get out of the grip as his captor held him off the ground. He tried to head-butt Nergal several times, but kept missing. He growled and summoned his own axe-tail, but Nergal Senior put his foot down on that, literally, and pinned it to the mental ground. Junior, aware that his mother's plan was almost saved, knew he had to act fast. He slammed both his elbows into his grand uncle's chest, making him grunt but nothing else.

"Listen to me Junior! You don't want to do this! That's your family out there! OUR Family! And I sure as Hell am not going to let you disgrace Minnie's sacrifice-!" He shouted, only to go wide eyed and give out a gasp. Junior had sprouted his Nergal-wings and impaled him through the chest and out the back, the razors dripping with green blood. Slowly, the great demon slouched down against his will, allowing Junior to reclaim his footing and control over the Reaper-Beast.

The mental projection felt a tentacle wrap around his chest, weaving in between the blades before it jerked him violently off. He found himself held back by many more tentacles. He looked up as his 'wounds' healed and what he saw was holding him almost broke his heart a little. It was Minnie. Or rather, what was left of her body and with many more tentacles sprouting out of it. Pinned by the corpse of his granddaughter, which was controlled by her now-insane half-brother who was currently trying to commit what Nergal could only call '_Reapageddon._' Things were not looking promising from this demon's angle.

Junior growled as he regained control of his Reaper-Beast body, seeing that over two hundred of the soldiers had made it out of the sewers. Wasting no more time, he commanded the leg to rise again to put a stop to this annoyance. He was going to enjoy devouring that red-eyed one, slowly and agonizingly. Even more than he enjoyed finishing _'Uncle Nergal'_...

**With Mandy**

The Queen of the Underworld had no idea what made the Reaper-Beast hesitate for a few short moments. Frankly, unless Junior had come to his senses, she really couldn't give a damn. That extra time saved over half her forces at this point. She gritted her teeth, though, when the leg finally did rise again, knowing she could do nothing to stop it. It fell with one great bang, slamming through the street and into the catacombs of Halloween Town.

It was only now that Mandy truly appreciated the beating this town was taking. Even if the battle was contained to one area, the destruction was still widespread. Buildings were in ruins if not completely collapsed, and many that were still standing were on fire. Blast marks decorated the stones like a bad paint job. Craters were all over the streets from the fighting. But this stomping was cracking at the very foundation now; for there were now large cracks bursting from where the leg entered the sewer that spread far outwards. If the ground shook much more, whole chunks of the city could fall into the sewer below.

Speaking of which, Mandy also found out exactly what Junior's counterplan had been. Rather than burying her soldiers in the underground, he had large tentacles sprout from the Reaper-Beast and spread throughout the sewer, like roots, and devour everything they could. She saw the spiny tentacle shoot right by the hole nearest her, leaving only the head and arm of a Tikbalan that had almost made it out. If she had to guess, three hundred or so of her men got out. That meant Junior only ate fifty or so of them… which meant this could still work!

"Attack!" She yelled, firing at the horde of clones before her with her sword. The Tikbalans split up, half heading to flank the clones Pain's dwindling forces were facing and the others charged with their Queen.

**With Clone and Nergal Junior**

Nergal Junior painfully panted as he lay in the crater. Unlike what Mandy had expected, he hadn't landed in the sewer...yet. He was laying on the edge of where the crater collapsed into the sewage system. He was burned in several places, his right arm was gone, his legs were torn up bad, his wings were gone, his hair was highly singed, and he was bleeding...a lot. His left arm and torso were about the only things still in good shape and that wasn't saying much.

He choked up a scream as a clawed foot slammed on his chest. He looked up and through the blurs in his vision; he saw the demonified form of Junior's Clone standing over him, his right arm with a wrist-blade. Nergal Junior smirked weakly, "Gu-Guess you got me, Junior." He praised bitterly, the clone looking at him unresponsively. "I-I hope you don't re-re-_"cough!-"_remember this afterwards," He added with a weak grin, not wishing that trauma on the boy, even now.

Clone just stood there, staring at him. In the hive mind of Junior and his duplicates, he wondered why. Why would these beings fight so helplessly? Why not flee? To a predator, it made little sense. They had to know by now that his clones simply regenerated and that more souls only made them even more durable. Why, why, why? The word plagued him like a curse for those few moments. Was it something about this land? Was it him? Did they hate him that much, to seek his destruction onto their own death?

But...there was no hate from any of them. Even the red eyed one, the one whose soul reeked of a dark evil, had no hate for him. Even this one, who had his foot on his broken body, the so-called _'Uncle Nergal'_ didn't smell of hatred. Why didn't they hate him, their hunter and killer?...Why did he hate them at all, for that matter? Why was he even here? Where had he been? What wa-?!

Clone roared and clutched his head in pain, his eyes blazing with renewed fury, the haze in his mind that had been finally starting to clear had returned full force. The last thing Nergal Junior saw was Clone slamming his foot onto his face. He faintly heard him running off before his consciousness faded...

**With Dan**

He hated this plan, he really, really did. Hiding and sneak attacks were never his style, let alone in the gutters- and in the street itself now that those tentacles had spread through the sewers. However, this foe warranted a little rule bending on his part...that and Clockwork threaten to send him into nonexistence if he didn't listen to the blonde bitch. So, yeah, that was pretty good incentive to go along with this plan, even if he thought it was a bit too elaborate.

The blonde's head guard and his forces attacked from the front, she and her skeletons hit the rest of them to buy time for the ones in the sewer to burst out behind enemy lines, and then he would pop out and attack the Reaper-Beast when it and the clones were too distracted to stop him. It was simple, really; it fixed the problem of one of the clones hitting him while he was charging his attack. He just had to time this right or he'd be this thing's newest meal.

_'One kid did all this?' _He thought with a smirk. _'Damn, has the underworld always had little monsters like this popping up? If so, I should have came here originally instead of wasting my time with the humans!' _He concluded with a mental laugh as he watched from behind the Reaper-Beast, his head half phased out of the ground. The horse-faces were attacking the clones, check. The skeletons were being swarmed, crap. The demon guy was down, double crap. However, the powerful clone was out of sight as far as he could tell, check. Finally, the bitch was drawing the giant's attention mostly to her with her super-blade. _'This is about as good a chance as I'll get,'_ He realized as he phased back under and headed closer.

**With Grim**

**"H-hey, Grim? Thi-this boy is the crown prince, right? Because I don't think you and Mandy can do much better than this,"** Jack joked weakly, panting from overuse of his powers. It had been centuries since he had used so much of his powers for so long.

"Jus hang in dere a bit longer, Jack. The army below is takin care of more of dem now," Grim said encouragingly as he spun his scythe, deflecting several blasts at once, _'Charles said ten minutes! It's done been ten fooking minutes!' _He thought in frustration.

**"Y-yeah. I know,"**Jack said as he got back to his feet, seeing that the clones they had to deal with were indeed thinning...then he heard some kind of roar that shook the building and then another from the Reaper-Beast. The reaper brothers looked out and saw that Dan was using his ghostly wail on the monster while flying behind it, causing the beast to scream in pain; as did the clones for that matter.

"Jack, jump now, mon!" Grim yelled, jumping out of a broken window, feeling the building starting to shake violently. The Pumpkin King followed suit, hearing crashing that was way too close for comfort. They both groaned on the ground, hoping no bones were broken. Luckily the clones were still convulsing, allowing the army to do more of them in and the skeletons to get their bearings.

They looked up and saw that what was left of the pumpkin-themed machinery was being peeled away by the continuing ghostly wail of Dan Phantom. In vain, it tried to stand up to strike at its attacker, only for Mandy to fire on it repeatedly with her sword. It roared defiantly, like a great predator refusing to die. Finally, as the wail ended, it fell to the ground...and the clones stopped convulsing. That had been a bit of an optimistic possibility on Mandy's part, that the clones might fall if the Reaper-Beast was taken down. It seemed that Junior's main body didn't need to be awake for him to control his clones.

"Grim, come on! We have to get in there while we still have a chance!" Clockwork yelled as he appeared nearby suddenly, to Grim's annoyance at his absence.

"You goin to be alright, Jack?" Grim asked in brotherly concern.

**"Hey, just because you're older, doesn't mean I can't handle myself for a while,"** Jack protested jokingly, smiling a flaming pumpkin smile at his elder sibling, **"Go on, your son needs you."**

Grim nodded and ran though the battlefield, jumping over and under enemies and allies, and slicing when needed, _'I'mma comin son!' _He thought, determined to save his son from himself.

He never noticed him coming until it was too late. He felt an iron grip on his right arm and turned to see the Head Clone had jumped at him. The hate filled and domonified eyes of his son bored into his empty sockets, his left arm raised high with a wrist blade. In that instant, as the blade came down, Grim thought for sure that he had failed...

And of course, Mandy came to the rescue and hit Clone with an electric-blast from her Sword of Tengu. The wrist-blade still struck him, slicing off Grim's right arm. Faintly and numbly hearing the yells of his wife and Clockwork, Grim paid the lost appendage no mind, merely happy he was left-handed with his scythe. He ran to catch up with the Ghost of Time before the two personifications leapt into the mouth of the unconscious Reaper-Beast.

Clone growled venomously as the two beings got away. Everything was going downhill so fast. The clones were slowly overwhelming the enemy army, but through the reaper-beast, he had seen the new and larger army approaching, and he could still smell them now. At least _'Uncle Nergal' _was out of the picture...

He gained a sinister smirk as he realized how easily this could go in his favor. The flaming skeleton was weakening and one of the ghosts was out in the open now. The red-eye's hand was getting worse all the time, soon her weapon would be next to useless. The skeleton and other ghost had gone into the Reaper-Beast and once his true self took care of them, their power would be his and that army wouldn't stand a chance. Speaking of power...

He looked down at the black-clothed skeletal-arm he had been holding and licked his long demonic tongue across his jagged teeth. That particular skeleton reeked of power and this arm, even while severed, still oozed the same kind of power. With one great chomp, he ate the limp, and swallowed it within three gulps.

With a stomp, he turned back to the battle, the axe of his tail swiping through a Tikbalan's spear and helmet, lodging into its face. The impact sent the soldier's body crashing away across the battlefield. He saw the ghost, the flaming-skeleton, and the red-eyed one all staring at him. His grin was almost bigger than his mouth as he knew what was about to happen. He would finally deal with the biggest annoyances here: all at once.

**End of Chapter**

Fourth chappie! And now we get closer and closer to the highpoint of this little war. For the record, I play the song 'Your Betrayl' while thinking about that finally laser fight, hope you all enjoyed that end to the fight. Yes, Nergal Junior is out of the fight and his father took more than a little pain for his defiance, but Mandy's plan mostly worked thanks to him. Also, if you're wondering why Jack got winded, I imagine he hasn't used his Pumpkin King powers like this in a serious fight for a long time. The Dark Fireball is just something I made up for him.

Yes, Dan has been hiding out this whole time, to his chargin mind you. I realized this isn't something he would normally do, but given the people threatening him at the time, he is a bit leveraged to go along with it. Now he gets to join in on the fun.

As for Clone and Junior, no, he/they weren't exactly calming down. It's more like Junior's mind got use to the overflow of rage and started thinking a bit clearer, which might have led to him calming down, but Mandy's plan kicked in before his mind could properly adjust any further and sent him back into a deeper rage. Not sure if that means her plan failed or succeeded.

Lastly, Jack brought up a good point- Was Junior already the Crowned Prince of the Underworld or just the future Death? As far as canon goes, I think he was. Minnie even called him 'O Heir to Our Kingdom' in the first page. To me, that almost seems like she's acknowledging he's the one that gets the throne. But that's just my perspective.

Next Time, we get to the main event: Clone Vs Jack, Mandy, and Dan while the real Junior is confronted by Grim, Clockwork, and Nergal Senior. Well, R&R for now folks! Be sure to check out the forum!

Questions to Ponder: Is Junior stronger than Clone? If so, how much? Now that the Reaper-Beast is out of the picture, will the tikbalans be able to gain an advantage against the clones? Will the main army arrive to make a difference? Will Clone be able to take on and beat Dan, Jack, AND Mandy all at once? What effects will eating Grim's arm have on him, if any? Will Junior be able to fight his one-armed father and Clockwork in his mind, is he knocked out completely, or did that attack just knock him back to his senses? Will Nergal Senior be able to help? Will Junior and his clones be able to calm down and realize what he's doing? Will Junior be able to handle what he's done? What will Minnie think of everything her brother has done? What's even happening with her soul now? Is the Grim family going to be able to accept their prince...or will they just see this whole thing as something be kind of proud of? And even if Junior is calmed down and manages to bring his sister's soul home...what's he going to do with his powers after that?


	5. Hollow Victory

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

**Kenju**- If that almost broke your mind, than this chapter surely will. Thank you for all the advice and praise. And yes, getting that accent right is not always easy. I'm still conflicted how to right 'still'- the normal way or like steal. Not sure if this fight scene will live up to everyone's expectations, but they all are getting either surprised or running low on fuel.

**Coldblue**- As always, love your reviews. The only issue with Grim getting Horror's hand because of his lost arm is becasue it's his RIGHT arm and the hand is infact a LEFT hand. Still, I won't rule out the possibility of Grim or someone else getting the Hand in the future. As for Mandy and Dan...just read on. Pain? He's got a part coming later. The towns people will get a bit more screen time soon- the focus right now is mostly on the fight and I can't get a good way to change it to the town's folk without it feeling like a break in the story-flow. Will the hybrid and his clones show more reaper powers? Oh yeah, just be a bit patient on that front. I didn't answer the question on if Junior will start a new race because I'm wanting that to be a surprise for later.

Onto Jack and Grim. Believe me, you will find out exactly what kind of powers Grim and Jack have soon, and eventually why they don't use them as much. And we will pull a bit of epicness out of Grim soon.

As always, I thank you for the many answers. I also realize I may be too many QTPs at the end of the fic and will try to tone it down some. If the tikbalans hadn't lost so many already, they'd probably be able to keep the clones occupied and pinned for a good while, as long as Clone and the RB weren't involved. Well, I won't deny that Clone is starting to get a bit desperate. However, in reference to his own fight, he's...not exactly a fair player. As for their senses coming back, well, just read. We're getting to HIM soon. As for the aftermath, I have more than a few plans for how this story goes on.

And yes, I firmly believe Timmy Turner is Junior's father. The only other character I can think of that MIGHT have his hair and eye colors is Number 2 from KND.(don't know his eye color) And since GT and PPGD don't have any established facts about Timmy Turner in their universes, authors can go nuts with what's happened to him and why Mandy slept with him of all people.

PS Can't wait for your review in GIR!

**Cf96**- Wait and see.

**bubbajack**- Well, here's the next fight scene. Enjoy...or be terrified. And yeah, Junior will have some issues once this is over with- I kind of ensured that here. What I won't spoil exactly what though.

**nightmaster000**- It will change the course of the story more as it goes on.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

In the Belly of the Beast, there is only darkness...and many groaning tentacles with red eyes; it kind of creeped Grim out a bit. Not the tentacles, but to know that this was all his son, _'We've made quite de monsta, Mandy,' _Grim thought, somewhere between sorrow and pride, "Knew I shoulda made Minnie a Reaper, ta hell wid de slimy Nergal bastards!" Grim mumbled out loud, wincing lightly as he felt something going on with his missing arm, _'Junior probably ate de ding, knowin my luck...'_

"That may not have changed much, Grim," Clockwork added in as they walked, or floated in his case.

"Wha's dat suppose ta mean?" Grim asked suspiciously, looking at his ancient associate with narrowed eyes, "And fer dat matter, why didn't ya jus prevent dis from happenin?" He asked, the gears in his head turning. While the Grim Reaper may not live up to his reputation, he was a very, very old being and he was far wiser than Mandy gave him credit for. He knew how Clockwork worked and something about this all stunk worse than Billy with beans!

"It is never that easy, Grim. The simplest of events build up to moments where all the fates of all worlds are altered. Taking one such event out of the picture will only lead to a similar event later taking its place," Clockwork answered cryptically, yet it was all clear to Grim.

"So...ye're sayin dat me Son becomin dis...dis raging beast, is not because of Minnie's powers...but because of Junior himself," Grim translated evenly, his tone taking a dangerous edge, "Is dat wha ye're tryin ta tell me, Ghost of Time? Dat me boy was always goin ta be turned into a monster?!" Grim asked, gripping his scythe tighter and tighter.

"Grim, calm yourself," Clockwork advised coolly, really not wanting to have a Time Vs. Death fight at any point during his own lifespan.

"Don't tell me ta calm down, Clockwork! I've been calm enough today!" Grim yelled again, "Now tell me...wha made Junior into dis, really?" Grim demanded. Had he been outside, the Underworld would have been shaking under the growing rage of its king.

"Do you want answers or your son?" Clockwork countered calmly, making Grim seethe.

"Fine, but mark me words, Clockwork. You are not above me scythe, nor do I fear de idea of wha migh happen if I reap ya," Grim warned as he marched past the ghost, onwards into the maze of dark emptiness and slimy tentacles.

'...Well, I guess all of Junior's rage isn't from Mandy,' Clockwork thought in amusement. Not every day Death gets angry enough to threaten Time. That hadn't happened since Clockwork's younger and less experience self created a time paradox and caused all kinds of trouble for everyone. Ohh, had that been embarrassing...

"Clockwork! Ya dere or is my son getting yer job now?!" Grim called in annoyance, tapping his staff twice for emphasis as he saw the ghost seem to mentally wander off for a few seconds. The Master of Time just rolled his eyes at that as Grim looked around impatiently, "How de heck are we suppose ta find Junior wid all dese slimy dings?" Grim asked, not expecting an answer.

"A little help?" Nergal Senior asked, half way pulling himself out from underneath a particularly large tentacle.

"Nergal? Ya bastard, what de fook ar-" Grim paused before grimacing, "Righ, I be fergettin dat ya hadda copy of yerself in Minnie's mind," Grim remembered, glaring as he reluctantly pulled the demon out from under the appendage while holding his scythe in his arm.

"Good to see you too, Reaper," Nergal thanked sarcastically, grunting as he stood up straight, something popping in his projection body. He blinked as he saw Grim's one-arm state, "...We really can't get a break today, can we?" Nergal Senior asked, sighing as he realized how bad this situation seemed. It was kind of bad when you weren't sure personifications of Death and Time would be good enough to even the playing field.

"Not today, I'm afraid, Nergal," Clockwork confirmed, drawing the attention of both creatures, "I'm sure you both want to have a long...chat, but now isn't the best time." He cautioned.

"Unfortunately, he be right. Any chance of de...real you showin up?" Grim asked, obviously not wanting to, but he felt compelled to ask for any help at this point. He was, however, unsurprised by the negative headshake, "Can ya at least tell us where Junior is?"

Nergal Senior nodded at that, "Yeah...but it's not pretty," He warned, gesturing for him to follow.

"What be wid all dese tentacles?" Grim asked, moving around them as best he could without touching them, lest they wake up Junior into another fit of rage.

Nergal chuckled hollowly at that, "Let's just say I tried to talk some sense into Junior and it didn't end well for me," He explained as he stopped and pointed to his right, "There he is."

Grim's sockets went wide as he saw Junior. His soul looked human now with dark brown hair and, ironically enough, a healthy looking tan skin. He was lying face up on the ground, groaning lightly in his unconsciousness. Lurking over his form protectively was the distorted, mutilated, possessed, and demonified corpse of MiniMandy. The once green and now red eyes of Grim's daughter scanned the area, every tentacle slowly moving, prepared to strike in an instant.

"Now to get by that thing," Clockwork mumbled, almost sounding annoyed for once.

"Any ideas? Grim?" Nergal asked, blinking as he looked over and found the skeleton gone. His jaw dropped as he saw Grim calmly walking straight up to the bodies, "...Guess he's not completely spineless," He muttered, a bit impressed.

The twisted form of Mandy's daughter snapped its attention to Grim as he approached, narrowing its eyes dangerously. Grim stopped not too far away and just stared into its red eyes for a while, the body of the Underworld Princess tilting its head back and forth, as if it was examining Grim.

"...This might actually be working," Nergal commented in shock, "This is the first time Junior hasn't tried to kill whatever he was looking at."

Slowly, the remains of Minnie crept back ever so slightly, allowing Grim Senior to approach. The old skeleton knelt by the child's soul, looking sadly at him and wondering how this night went so wrong. His son, his heir, driven mad with rage over the death of his sister; so mad that he would strike down his own family and kingdom, along with all of existence. So young yet so powerful now that he could do just that, "How could dis have happened...yer just a boy still...," Grim murmured, setting his scythe down and brushing his boney hand across Junior's hair, Minnie's corpse growling warningly yet not making any move to stop him otherwise.

"...Dad...," Junior murmured softly, his eye lids twitching.

"Son? Junior, ya gotta wake up now!" Grim said strongly and hopefully, grabbing both shoulders and starting to shake him gently. He never noticed the corpse of Minnie slithering away.

"...This is too easy," Nergal Senior commented to himself, looking around in suspicion.

"Getting in here wasn't easy," Clockwork countered, but didn't sound like he really disagreed with him.

"Not that, Junior...you weren't here, you're not connected to him. The kind of rage he had isn't cured with a simple knockout," Nergal explained, saying it more to himself than Clockwork, knowing that the being was probably aware of this fact in some way.

"Which means it wasn't cured," Clockwork filled in the blank, making Nergal go wide eyed.

"Grim, get away from him!" Nergal Senior warned loudly, racing to the father and son.

"Wha?" Grim asked in surprise, only to stop as he saw his son open his eyes and look up at him, Junior's two scrunching eyes a shade of crimson not unlike his mother's.

"Dad?" Junior asked, sounding confused...before his eyes turned into two glowing red orbs, narrowing angrily as a snarl formed on his lips. He kicked his father in the gut, sending him flying back with a thud.

"Wha de fook jus happened?!" Grim asked in alarm, watching as the beast that was his son slowly and groggily rose to his feet, glaring at them in a mix of annoyance and outrage.

"Grim, he's far too angry to come back to his senses just like that!" Nergal informed, helping the one armed skeleton to his feet.

"Dat woulda been nice ta know sooner!" Grim all but yelled before looking back at his son, not sure what to do, "Nergal...wha exactly is makin him so pissed?" He asked, glancing at his scythe on the ground, which Junior had taken no notice of yet.

"...Minnie's memories combined with her death are creating...an emotional feedback loop of sorts. He hates himself for being a bad brother and, in his mind at least, causing her death. Watching everything from Minnie's point of view is inflaming his rage to the point of madness. Everything else is just adding fuel to the fire," Nergal explained, leaving out some details for the sake of time, among other things.

Grim was thankful he didn't have eyes, or the feral Junior would have caught him glancing at the scythe by now, _'Dere's a lot more ta dis den he's tellin...still, dat makes sense. Children are unstable enough on deir own, let alone one wid another's memories,' _Grim thought, tensing as Junior leapt at him. The elder reaper dived under the berserking child, aiming for his scythe, _'But how do we break dis loop?!'_ He asked himself as he grabbed the mystic weapon, knowing that getting through to Junior was like going through a minefield.

He turned just in time to see Nergal Senior flying towards him, sending them crashing to the floor, "...He's very strong still," Nergal noted as they scrambled to their feet.

"This IS his mind, of sorts," Clockwork reminded calmly, floating by them, "It would be surprising if he didn't possess a natural advantage here."

"No, that's not it," Nergal corrected, watching with narrowed eyes as Junior just stood where he had thrown him from, "He kept a good number of souls in the Reaper-Beast for power. Enraged or not, he is prepared."

"Great, Mandy's temper and mind, jus wha we need," Grim murmured, looking suspicious as Junior smirked at them, "I don't like dis..."

Grim's words were punctuated by Junior bringing his hands together and cracking his fingers outwards, the noise rippling through Junior's "Belly" as every tentacle sprouted hilts of many swords out of each appendage, light trails of green blood oozing from them. While there was only one Junior, the effect was still intimidating. He may not have an army in here, but he did have an armory.

"...Just be glad he hasn't retaken complete control yet or you two would be his newest snacks," Nergal commented after a moment, Junior walking over and pulling out a rapier and kopis out of a tentacle.

"How long ya give dat?" Grim asked, clutching his scythe, readying himself as best he could with one arm.

"...I'm amazed he hasn't already, to be honest," Nergal answered grimly just before Junior charged at them.

_'Mandy, I hope ye're havin betta luck dan me,'_ Grim thought as his scythe clashed with the rapier...

**Outside The Beast**

Mandy was decidedly not doing better than Grim, same goes for her two allies in this fight. Dan, being the must unspent and uninjured one of them, was doing the best so far, but Jack was doing the worst. Honestly, Mandy was privately impressed the old bag of bones was doing this good. Still, Clone was not going down without a lot of fight...

The Queen of the Underworld glared into the red eyes of the duplicate as he jumped at her and swung his tail at her sword, using that to propel himself back and give a right kick to Dan's face. Turning his arm into a blade, he blocked the Sword of Tengu from cutting him down the middle. Dan grabbed Clone's axe-tail with his right hand, prompting him to use that to jerk himself to the side and around to Dan's backside, avoiding a hit to the head that almost got Mandy. Using the force of his swing, he slammed Dan forward. It was just a bit, but combined with Mandy's lurch forward from the sudden lack of resistance, it was enough to get the ghost stabbed in the right shoulder. Dan's hold on the tail weakened, allowing Clone to slide it down hard and cut into Dan's hand, forcing him to let go.

"Damn," Dan snarled as he held his hand, now bleeding ectoplasm from the cuts, as Clone jumped off his back. Thankfully, it was after Mandy had taken the sword out and pointed it away from Dan, "Watch what you're doing with that thing, bitch!" Dan yelled in anger as his uninjured hand now moved to his pierced shoulder.

"Suck it up," Mandy growled lowly, not wanting to put up with the Ghost's attitude but not having the time to _correct_ it. She turned to where Clone had leapt to...only to see his clawed hand inside the mouth of Jack's pumpkin head, grabbing Jack's real skeleton head within it, and slamming his head into the ground repeatedly, even as the flames burnt Clone's hand and arm. With one great toss, he threw the Pumpkin King through a wall and into a building, "One down, two of us left," Mandy drawled in annoyance, doubting the reaper would be getting up from that soon.

Clone, his arm still ablaze, looked at the pair, as if deciding who to go after next. Mandy, however, didn't give him a chance to decide and shot a bolt of electricity at him. He was too close to dodge and he had nothing to block with. With a mental shrug, he held out his hands as if to catch the beam...

"You have got to be kidding," Mandy drawled with an annoyed glare of her own as Clone seemed to absorb the attack, sparks of white magical lightning covering his body. On the upside, he did seem to be in a good deal of pain from absorbing it. Dan, taking this as an opening, shot a powerful Ghost Beam at Clone, who quickly stuck out his arm. It looked like he was creating a Ghost Ball. Than his Nergal eyes, regular eyes, and mouth all went from glowing red to glowing white as Clone let out a roar, the green ball of ghost ectoplasm turning a very pale shade of green as it seemed to vibrate with a thundering noise.

When it fired, it not only collided with Dan's Ghost Beam, it tore right though it and headed toward the powerful ghost. In an effort to avoid being hit, Dan turned intangible...but the ball still made contact, striking him in the chest and sending him flying, only detonating when Dan crashed through several buildings. Mandy was doing everything she could to hide her shock as Clone stood there, panting. His eyes and mouth had returned to being red and he was no longer sparking. He looked wide eyed at his hands, still briefly giving off a few sparks, before looking to where Dan had gone flying and then to Mandy. He gave her the first non-murderous look she had seen from him since this fiasco began. The look said simply _'Let's not try that again.'_

**Inside the Beast**

Nergal Senior gritted his teeth as he healed yet another gash from trying to help Grim take on Junior, Clockwork helping as little as possible, like always. Oh how he wished right now that he had even a fraction of the powers his true self wielded. Alas, he did not and had to work with what he had; which wasn't much.

Still, Nergal had to hand it to Grim. He was really good with his scythe. Deflecting all the rapid attacks, with one arm no less, from a berserking child with two blades that he wielded easily? That was pretty impressive, _'Good thing Grim's not right handed or we'd be screwed right now,'_ Nergal thought with a shiver before taking a glance at one of the weapons nearby. It was a bit of a gamble, but it might work.

Grim spun his scythe to deflect another head shot with the bottom of the staff and kept spinning to block a bottom jab with the bladed end. Junior growled low in his throat as he pushed hard against his father's scythe, trying to get past the one-armed skeleton's defense. His glaring eyes widened slightly as he heard Nergal Senior charging at him with a flammard ready to swing. The reaper child kicked up his feet and kept his blades locked with the scythe, using them to twist his body and land his sole of his shoes against the wave-edged blade. To the Demon from the Center of the Earth's amazement, the blade didn't cut into the soul's footwear.

The hybrid rose an eyebrow, as if surprised Nergal would even attempt that, before giving a powerful leg thrust to kick himself off the blade. Like a great splash in a puddle, many small tentacles busted forth and began grabbing onto Nergal, as if to strangle him. Using all of the strength he had available, the demon ripped the blade off him and tossed it aside before it got a good grip on him.

Clockwork, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes in thought. This had dragged out a lot longer than he had hoped and Junior was in full control of his powers, even if he wasn't exactly in control of himself. He had to end this soon or it would be truly too late, for everyone. With that in mind, he pointed his staff and froze the boy as he made another leaping swing at Grim. Stopping in mid swing of his own weapon, the reaper blinked as his son came to a stop, floating in the air and still as a statue.

"You couldn't have done that sooner?" Nergal Senior asked, now sporting a footprint on his face and looking mad, borderline seething at the chronokinetic specter's lack of action until now.

"Don't boder wid him, mon. I stopped expectin mooch outta him eons ago. I be surprised he's still here," Grim commented harshly, Clockwork not reacting to the accusations. This was all personal for the Embodiment of Death, so anything the Epoch Lord said would only upset him more. Grim moved from in front to beside his son's frozen body, readying his scythe to hit Junior over the head with the non-bladed side of it and knock him out again...

**Outside the Beast**

Eleven…That was the number Mandy couldn't helping thinking of right now. For the longest time, she had honestly thought of Junior as the average child out of this family of monsters and freaks; Just a regular boy that happened to be a skeleton. No noticeable skills, no grand interests, no powers as of yet, a simple interest in a few sports, average intelligence for his age, no desire for cruelty or lack of empathy, etc. She had actually thought it was tradition that Grim Reapers were people that, if they were human, would seem very ordinary.

_'Freaking Eleven!' _She roared in her head, swinging her Sword of Tengu at him again. Her reign of terror began at age ten when she met Grim. Before that, she was just a malignant resident of Endsville. Seeing Death and tricking him into servitude had been a bit of a private wake up call. Nothing changed as far as anyone could tell, but she had been plotting and learning from every incident brought on by Grim's living in their town, usually caused by Billy's chaotic nature. She learned of the underworld, the afterlife, the world at large, creatures of all kinds, and so much more. She may have been unimpressed on the outside, but on the inside, she had made hundreds of possible plans using all she had learned. She even planned on making armies of werewolves/vampires once, and she hadn't even seen the movie Underworld.

Now it was like her eleven year old boy was cranking his own malevolence to eleven to make up for lost time, _'I'm not about to have my reign become one of the shortest in the history of the underworld, boy!' _She vowed as she surprised Clone with a kick to the stomach. Her own defiance to lose was probably her greatest weapon in this fight now. Gritting her teeth, she forced her hands to keep a grip on the sword. It was supposed to be her trump card, something she would pull out and add an extra pound in her favor of things, and hopefully end the fight soon. Now it was becoming more and more useless now that Clone was figuring out how to absorb the attack. Her hands were getting fried all the time and she was starting to lose feeling in them at this point. This was one of the many reasons she didn't like to use this weapon. It had the risk of leaving her near helpless.

She resisted the urge to shiver in nostalgia as she saw Clone's jagged grin. The grin brought back a lot of memories...but it was obvious that he was catching on. He knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't use the sword any more. Then, nothing would protect her from his claws and lasers. Mandy hated to admit it, but she was in a bind. Junior wasn't calming down, his power was growing greater, her available weapons were proving less than effective, and she wasn't sure back up would help in the long run. She was running out of time and options.

None the less, she smirked as she saw him turn his right arm into a cannon. She had fought Nergal Junior more than once and knew a few tricks for this. With all the speed she ever had, she slammed the sword straight into the muzzle of the weapon, getting a screaming roar of pain for her actions. One weakness the Nergal cannons had was that if something that could disrupt their energy by being stabbed into the cannon, like a magical sword for instants, than it could cause an implosion...

Mandy debated for all of a second whether she should risk blasting him. While he had absorbed the attack before, that was an external attack and he had time to 'catch' it. Taking this as her only clear shot at taking him down a few pegs, she fired a blast into Clone's cannon, smirking as she saw and sensed the dangerous reaction going on in his arm. Clone howled and fell to his knee as Mandy tried to pull away from the inevitable combustion...only to find the cannon arm now had a firm hold on her sword. Her eyes went wide when Clone's pained look turned into a smirk. He said one word to her and one word only, **"Loser."**

Mandy didn't scream when the arm exploded, sending her flying, and flying far. She landed head first against something. If she were mortal, her head would have been bashed in. Thankfully, immortality still had its benefits of quick healing vitals, leaving her with just a few thick trails of blood rolling down her face. She moved to arise, and get her sword back, but found two things wrong. One, she wasn't lying on the ground and two, she couldn't move much. She then became incredibly aware of her surroundings.

The tentacle in the sewer had risen up, almost like some tree of flesh emerging from a ground of stone. She had landed against this and it had grown extra appendages to wrap around her, pinning her to it. Her arms trapped to her side and her legs held together, along with one that was curling around her neck. As great as her strength was to a normal human, the limbs would not yield to her. She watched without a bit of panic on her face as Clone marched out of the smoke.

His right arm was completely without flesh now, just skeleton bones with a bit of tentacle-flesh creeping over the shoulder. Without even flinching, he picked up the Sword of Tengu with the same arm. It sparked madly, as if trying to reject its new wielder. Mandy wasn't sure if Clone was ignoring the pain or if his bones just didn't feel any. Still, it didn't really matter as Clone walked to her, slowly yet victoriously as the sword scraped against the ground. She wondered what he would do exactly. Behead her with her own sword? Eat her alive? Rip her limbs off? She didn't know or care really; she just stared apathically as he approached.

Than she did something not that surprised even herself. She smirked at him. It wasn't triumphant, it was just...a strange mix of bittersweet and pride, "Not bad, Junior. Not bad at all," She murmured as he tilted his head curiously at her, as if trying to understand her words.

Once again, that word plagued Clone as a semblance of rationality returned to him, his red haze fading anew. Why? Why did this woman refuse to hate him when he could sense so much within her? Why did she look at him like that? Why was she speaking like that? Why...did she suddenly seem so familiar? Why was his chest starting to hurt? He almost jolted as he felt an inkling of something from his true self. A word the original had said to the skeleton...Dad? For some reason, another word now tugged at the back of his mind as he stared at the Red-Eyed One...

He blinked as he looked back up into her eyes with confused eyes, **"...M...Mo...Mom?" **He asked unsurely, his eyes squinting as the red glow began to flicker.

Mandy went wide eyed at that as Clone continued to stare at her, feeling the tentacles begin to weaken their hold and to gently lower her back to the ground. The Queen honestly held her breath now, not wanting to risk interrupting Junior's apparent return to sanity and sending him back into his madness. _'Come on, Junior, I know you're still there...,' _She thought, just a bit hopeful for once in her life, the appendages restraining her almost loose enough for her to get free...

She knew there was no chance of that the instant Clone's eyes stopped flickering before going wide with shock and rage again, the tentacles tightening again and almost strangling her this time as they did. She watched as he gripped the Sword of Tengu hard, placing his other hand on it while raising it. For a moment, she thought he was going to blow her to pieces with it and resigned herself to it. Than he did something that confused her. He swung the sword to his left a little...aiming at the body of the Reaper-Beast. He fired and she saw the beam leave the blade. Had this clone of Junior's come to his senses?

That idea was thrown out the window when she didn't hear or see an explosion. She couldn't get a good look, but she could see some flesh warping on the behemoth's form. She had a good guess as to what he had done and if she was right, it didn't bode well for her.

**Inside the Beast**

Nergal Senior felt his scales stand on end as Grim brought the scythe down, feeling something was very wrong, but he couldn't tell what...until it was too late. Before the blunt end of the weapon ever made contact, a beam of light came out of nowhere, "Clockwork, look out!" Nergal Senior yelled, seeing it before the others. The Ghost of time look over his shoulder and mentally willed the beam to slow down...

Junior, still in midair, smirked. The beam did the opposite and sped up, crashing into the time manipulater who let out a scream of shock. Junior suddenly unfroze and fell to the ground just before his father's weapon made contact. He used the blades to quickly chop off Nergal's arms before throwing the kopis at his throat. He than reached around and grabbed Grim's scythe and swung his rapier to take the elder reaper off his feet. Grim kept an iron grip on his staff as Junior tried to pull it away from him, causing him to come face to face with his son's angry soul, glaring into his sockets.

_'I am soooo fooked,' _Grim realized blankly. _'On de oder hand...,' _He added as Junior raised the rapier. Grim twisted his grip on the staff lightly, causing Junior to be shocked with some kind of electricity, allowing Grim to hit him in the stomache with the flat bottom of the scythe's staff._ 'I still gotta few trick up me sleeves,'_ He thought with a smirk, his feet reattaching as he got up. He brushed himself off and glanced at Clockword, seeing the Time Lord was groaning on the edge of consciousness. _'Let's see...Clockwork's power don't work righ at the moment, fer whateva reason and Nergal...,'_ Grim thought, glancing over as the demon's arms tried to wiggle back to their own to heal. _'He's out fer de moment. Jus leaves me and me son, eh?' _Grim thought in hollow amusement. "Watch an learn, Boy,"Grim declared, his scythe radiating a bit of blackness around it as he watched Junior get up and crack his neck menacingly. This was far from over with and they both knew it. It was time they both start taking this seriously.

**Outside the Beast**

Mandy watched as Clone lowered the blade's tip to the ground and turned to look at her again. She could see it. He was hesitating. Even with his wrath returning and clouding his mind, he still recognized her now, even if he was having trouble registering who she was. But she could also see something else in those bloody orbs. A look she had seen on many a soul; the hesitation to hesitate. From a strategist's view, from a predator's view, he needed to kill her while he still had the chance. If he didn't, he might never get another opportunity like this, might never have her helpless again.

She saw him glance off into the distance with his eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as if seeing his handy work for the first time. The clones had long since driven the Tikbalans away from the area where the main fighters were having their rather one-sided duel. A field of bodies, all of them flaming horse-humanoids along with scraps of Nergal flesh the clones had lost in their fight. The ruined town was drenched with the orange-red blood of the Tikbalans and the green Nergal-blood of the hybrid's clones and Reaper-Beast. They mixed and oozed down the streets, bits of flesh floating along, and poured into the various pockmarks and craters from the battle, flooding into the sewers.

Unknown to Mandy, he was also looking past them. Beyond the Town Square War, there were the thinning three battles in the streets. The street on the right had completely fallen to his clones, which were now attacking the middle though the alley. The one on the left only managed to hang on this long because of a building that fell, courtesy of the Mega Death-Ray Clone used to finish off Nergal Junior, and buried his clones for a bit, giving the Tikbalans some makeshift cover to work with and then there was Lord Pain still fighting desperately in the center street for his Mistress and Master, even as he knew how fruitless this fight would be.

The Royal Guard of Flaming Tikbalans had numbered close to thirteen hundred when they arrived. Before this plan of Mandy's had started, they were down to five hundred. The fifty in the right street were gone. There was barely half left in the opposite street. Pain had only ten to thirteen left with him. Another fifty were eaten in the sewer. Of the three hundred Mandy had successfully smuggled in close to the Reaper-Beast, they were slowly dwindling as well, already close to losing a hundred. That put the Tikbalans at less than a quarter-thousand left.

A thousand soldiers slain, Clone privately realized. A thousand souls devoured. When the original was better rested, he could make many more clones. And these abilities he was gaining from the enemies could be better harnessed in all the clones, just barely used now and only when needed, even if they were but a fraction of the True Junior's power. And the souls of the ghosts and skeletons were worth so much more than one of these horse-faced ones. As feeble as their resistance was, their souls could supply them with a great army...

Clone pushed himself out of that line of thought and looked beyond the Battle of Three Streets and saw what he had to assume were the inhabitants of this land. Though they were far, he could see them with ease, aided by his own impressive eyesight and the link of his fellow clones. Creatures of flesh, these people were: rotting and living, fur and scales, and more….even a living tree of some kind; Mothers, fathers, and children. Clone remembered himself and the others eating more than a few of them. They were far more fearful and weak than the horse-headed army that had fought him so defiantly. These beings were monsters of a kind, but not warriors.

But unlike the Red-Eyed One and her allies, there was a hate for him in these souls. A hate bred of fear and sorrow. It confused him on even an instinctual level. Why did those he had hurt the least hate him the most when those he inflicted the greater pain upon bore him none at all? Something was wrong with that, something he felt he knew but couldn't remember...Remember. He couldn't remember anything. In his infinite rage, that hadn't mattered to him. But now, as the red haze began to lessen over Clone, he was beginning to realize that that shouldn't be, that he should remember...something; many things actually. And he felt the Red-Eyed One was such a thing...

He raised his head a bit higher as his sight zoomed past the settlement entirely and to the forest on the outskirts. He could see the army emerging from there now, ten thousand strong with cannons and more. They'd be at the town very soon. He was running out of time. Even with the fact blaring in his rational mind that something was very wrong about all this, his survival instincts were still very prevalent. And the fact blaring in his animal mind was that this female was a bigger threat left alive, especially with that new army. Clone was sure the True Junior might consider a retreat when he was done with his intruders, but for now, Clone had to hold out as best he could. And the Red-Eyed One was his biggest obstacle to that...

Clone turned back to the Queen and raised his free hand, holding it out like he was grabbing something. Mandy could feel many things growing along the tentacles holding her in place that poked against her like thorns. She knew what was coming and she could see that Clone wasn't sure he wanted to do what he thought he had to do,_ 'Never thought I'd wish my soldiers were tardy rather than on time,'_ Mandy thought in irony as the thorns got sharper and sharper. She gave a small sigh as she stared into his eyes, steeling to take her life, "Son...," She whispered, not really even sure what she was going to say anymore.

Clone's eyes went wide at that simple word. Perhaps that was all he needed to hear to come back at this point. Perhaps, but thanks to a certain skeleton, they would never know...

Clone squeezed his hand on reflex as he was batted way with one great strike. He spun around and landed on all fours like an animal, glaring at the one who struck. It was...the flaming skeleton…only he wasn't flaming anymore. He was now just a tall skeleton in a suite with rather long limbs. However...something was different about him, something Clone couldn't see so much as sense. The way his skull snarled, the way he crouched instead of standing straight, and that look in his eye sockets, the way he glared at Clone. This wasn't the same skeleton from just a while ago. This...this was something new. Something far worse than a simple creature of fleshlessness.

Clone risked a glance at his blonde captor and resisted the urge to flinch and grab his chest. She laid lax against her fleshy restraints, human blood pouring from down her body and pooling beneathe her. Spikes had run her through the chest, arms, legs, and throat from nearly every angle. To top it all off, two lone spikes pierced through from the back of her skull, into the brain, and our though the eyes. Clone didn't make the spikes retract. That was done on instinct for reasons he couldn't understand still. He didn't have time to dwell over why he suddenly didn't want the Red-Eyed One dead. For the Master of Fright was upon him...

**End of Chapter**

The Queen is Dead! Time is Out! Yeah, no happy moments for the Grim family yet. And yes, your readers are not imagining a bit of diverging mentalities between Clone and Junior. Junior only noticed his father for a breathe instant when waking up while Clone hesitated to kill Mandy, almost fully registering her as his mother. He knew what to call her, but the emotional connection to the title wasn't fully restored. Junior is still rampaging while Clone is starting to realize something is wrong with them. There is a reason why this is happening to one and not the other and no, they are not seperating into their own complete individuals.

Dan is at least temporarially KOed from a Tengu-Ghost Ball. And no, Clone was not expecting that to happen. He took a gambit, it paid off, and he doesn't want to try it again. Nergal Senior is pulling himself together at the moment. Clockwork is down and a bit useless right now. Mandy is...swiss cheese. Grim, despite having one arm, is holding his own against Junior. For how long is anyone's guess. And as you can all see, something is going on with Jack Skellington. Let's just say he's not Death's little brother for nothing folks. Pain and the last of the tikbalans may survive if they hold on a bit longer for the new army to help them.

**QTP**: What is going on with Jack Skellington? Will he present a true challenge for Clone now? Will Junior's Soul be a match for the One-Armed Death now that they're both serious? What other tricks does Grim have? What happened with Clockwork's powers? Is Grim right, was it something about Junior himself that made him into a monster and not Minnie's powers? With Junior go after the dazed Ghost of Time? Will Junior come to his senses or will Clone's haze fade completely before Junior mentally reconnects with the Clones? What did Clockwork mean by 'too late for everyone'? Is Dan out of the fight for good? Is Queen Mandy truly dead? If not, can she forgive her son for matricide? And how will Mandy's Death, permanent or temporary, effect everything? How powerful will Junior be when fully rested?

**PS. There's an Role Playing thing on the Grim Tales forum now. If anyone wants to join, feel free.**


	6. Divine and Demonic Intervention

Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

**nightmaster000**- Oh yeah, that is going to cause a lot of ripples in future events.

**bubbajack**- Yes, Mandy's death is a temporary thing, assuming no one eats her soul. As for Clockwork powers, you got it backwards a little. He got hit by the sword's attack "because" his powers didn't work right.

**Blood Brandy**- Good guess, but no.

**Cf96**- The fight should be wrapped up by the end of next chapter, assuming it's as long or longer than this one.

**DPSS**- Probably not. I don't think Mandy likes the idea of giving away one of her most powerful weapons.

**coldblue**- First off, there was no second chapter, only one. And I would be surprised if you actually didn't like GIR, as it seems up your alley. Mixed reactions/feelings for Mandy's 'death' is expected, as she's a great character, but she is a bitch. Well, Junior WAS the oddball out, now he's the over achiever in the family. As for Grim, he has more than a few abilities to choose from to help him here. Jack, I have a surprise/plan for what's going on with him. On to Junior and Clone- their anger isn't just at how bad a brother they've been, but that's the primary thing that's driven him to this. Junior and Clone don't feel bad so much as confused. Every now and then, it occurs to them that things seem odd and they can't make sense of it.

Yes, Mandy is coming back. How you'll find out soon...Though I'm loving these ideas of your's to be honest. As for Dan, don't worry, he'll get his little badgers...let's just hope they survive their big brother. As for HIM, Junior won't get to him for at least until next chapter. Next is Grim- his power may seem a little odd, but it will be explained later by the Reaper himself. And as for HIM's and the others' point of views? Just read on.

On to your answers. 1. You are close to the truth, but it's a bit more complicated. 2. Well, you can judge for yourself if Jack is a challenge down below. 3. Ahh, true, but you're assuming that Junior wouldn't just replace his father if he killed him. 4. As I said, he'll have more than a few, but I think you'll like this one. 5. Bingo to his powers being disrupted. 6. ...I'll have to get back to you on if Junior's rage is like Hulk's. For some reason, the answer to that doesn't come easily. 7. My answer to this is that is potentially the same answer I gave to number three. 8. The reason no one has tried is because every time Minnie is mentioned, Junior just seems to end up angrier. 9. Well, he can see everything, I just doubt he consciously recalls every possibility or that he can account for everything due to free will. But yes, he has a good idea of which futures can still come. 10. Oh, you have no idea. 11. True on all accounts, but I imagine it is possible that a reaper in general could rip out her soul, I just imagine it'd be harder for anyone but Grim Senior. 12. All I know is that this family is going to have more issues after this. 13. Oh yeah, everything that happens here will impact Junior's future. Power like his does not go unnoticed after something like this. 14. As for Junior when he's fully rested and repower, don't worry, you'll get a look at that eventually.

As for your changed answer- Copycat! lol. Anyway, no, Sally is safe...currently at least. As for who is going to survive, I make no promises.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts**_

**AN For a variety of reasons, I have decided to up the rating of this fic to M.**

A figure sat in a wooden throne with a grim expression. The weight of his muscled figure would have made a lesser seat creek and break under its weight. He leaned forward with his head in his right hand, his unruly orange hair framing his shoulders, as he stared into a large metal bowl of liquid set before his seat. It was almost big enough to be a pool for young ones. However, the contents of this bowl were decidedly not something children should ingest. The brown color liquid spun in circles, seemingly on its own accord. The ripples morphed to show a town, besieged by a beast of Living Death, and it's horde of duplicates, and defended by an army of infernal humanoid horses.

The vision in pool stopped on the sight of the dead queen, her battered yet ever faithful knight having tore and slashed away the fleshy restraints that had been the instruments of her demise and now sitting by her in a mix of distraught helplessness and loyal protectiveness. The beautiful body, now healed of all visible wounds, was soaked in her own blood...and her chest still did not move. Her will was unbreakable and her body immortal...but even her athanasia had limits. The Queen of the Underworld would still be dead in all ways until long after this battle was decided. Her soul would literally be a sitting duck for any replica that came across her if not for the knight and even he might not be able to last long.

"You can't help her," A female voice called, a figure approaching to stand to the right of the throne, placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn't visibly acknowledge her, but she could feel his tension lessen at her touch. "You can't go into the Underworld and anyone you send would be killed," She reminded evenly, staring at him intently, as if trying to read his mind.

The man let out a small laugh at that as he looked over his shoulder at her, "I thought YOU of all people would be happy with this situation. After all, when was the last time there was more potential for chaos, Eris?" He asked. Any other time, the question would have been obviously teasing and playful, but now the tone contained a hidden edge to mark the seriousness of current events.

The goddess snorted lightly at the inquiry, "Honestly, and not counting the obvious, not since the Gigantomachy," She answered, more serious than she usually would be. "But this...this is more Ares's kind of chaos than mine," She answered with distaste.

The warrior laughed, a bit of genuine mirth this time, "Love, if you were honest, you'd admit that the only real reason you do "not" like this carnage of Mandy's son is that you don't want me involved in it," He retorted, giving her a look that dared her to deny the accusation.

She sighed at that, "Fine, I'll admit it. Even if you could go into the Underworld to help the Bitch Queen, I still wouldn't want you to," She grumbled, cursing her lover's ability to read her so well.

"It wouldn't matter, eventually. If Grim's Heir isn't stopped soon, if he gets even one significantly potent soul, than this battle will be unchangeably tipped back in his favor. Then he will spread his horde to the other realms and eventually not Heaven, Olympus, or anyone else would be able to stop him. If this child isn't stopped there and now, than Ragnarok is truly upon us all," The orangette retorted solemnly, glaring hard into the pool.

"...Than what do you do intend to do?" Eris asked curiously. She wasn't sure that the Prince of the Grim Clan was as dangerous as her beloved made him out to be, but considering the child's pedigree, she wasn't making bets against it.

The muscled figure smirked as he picked up a golden and jewel-encrusted goblet on the left arm of his throne, filled with the same intoxicating liquid as the viewing bowl, "Just giving a bit of life back to the Queen of Death," He answered wryly before taking a long drink from it and sighed contently as he poured the remainder into the pool, seeming right onto the Immortal Queen's face...

**Halloween Town**

Clone had come to a decision; he hated not knowing. To be left in the dark and draw up his own hypothesis from the limited conscious knowledge he currently possessed. He hated that feeling on the edge of his mind that he should know something yet didn't. To be so close yet so far away from understanding something. All he kept asking himself today was _**'Why?'**_, over and over again, and rarely getting answers. Why didn't these enemies hate him, why did his chest hurt when he killed the Red eyed one, and- right now- why was the skeleton fighting so much harder **NOW?!**

However, he had no time to ponder these questions anymore as the King of Halloween fought like a beast from the very pits of Hell. Clone, and Junior, had assumed that the pumpkin-headed form of fire had been the skeleton's greatest form, that that was all he could bring to the table. The unnatural hybrid was wrong though. In his state of madness, Junior and his clones did not have the capacity for fear. What they did have, though, was a decent substitute: caution. Not fearing his opponents did not mean he was not vigilant of their power. And this creature of death was far more powerful now than he had been earlier.

Like some demented snake, Jack leapt over the Sword of Tengu and landed on all fours before grabbing onto the sword-wielding right arm of his foe. Clone growled in irritation as he was slammed into a wall of an alley, the skeleton now trying to choke the unlife out of his nephew's clone with one hand, or at least crush the spine, as the other hand held the sword-hand against the brick wall. Clone glared before slamming his elbows into the wall, making them both fall into the house. As they fell, Clone wrapped his tail around Jack's neck and used that to throw him farther into the structure, forcing the skeleton to break his grip on his foe. Clone used his momentum to land on his hands and then propelled himself upwards, hard. Hard enough to kick his foot through the ceiling and climb his way into the second floor.

Clone shook the wood splinter off of himself as he tossed the sword up lightly to hold it by the blade. He had learned by accident that if one only held it by the blade and not the hilt, the sword would not ignite with its electrical power. It wasn't very useful to hold it like so in a battle, of course, but it was a good fact to realize when wanting to be silent and unnoticeable.

He paused to take stock of his location-He was in a bedroom of some kind. Dark and dingy, like the entire town, the only lights coming from the rays of the moon outside and the infernal glow of Clone's eyes and mouth. The floor boards creaked at the lightest noise. He glanced back down below, into the hole, cautiously as he searched for his enemy's body. It had been a living room, and he had thrown the Pumpkin King into a fire place...and he had already gotten out of the rubble, judging by the disturbed pile of bricks.

Clone narrowed his eyes as he stepped back and turned his head sharply, scanning the room again as his instincts sent alarm bells off. Slowly and thoroughly, every Nergal eye of his body searched the room for something, anything that would indicate a sign of life in any form. There was nothing. Nothing to hear, nothing to see. Yet, he was not convinced of his own solitude...he didn't need to ask why to know what the feeling he had was. It was the sense of being hunted...Clone smirked in the dark. It all suddenly made sense now.

Eyes narrowing, Clone's bloody eyes snapped towards the closet with a scowl. Slowly and steadily, he crept towards it, the boards creaking with each step. In the dark, a figure scrunched her eyes shut and clamped a hand over her nose and mouth to hide her breathing. Clone reached the closet and slammed the door open, finding nothing but clothes. He snorted, seemingly in annoyance. The figure relaxed in relief...Clone smirked as he tossed the sword up again and grabbed the hilt before stabbing the bed next to him, the sparking-blade barely missing his prey.

With a scream, she leapt out from under the bed and ran for the door. She had almost turned the knob when the Goblin Sword impaled threw the door and into the floor outside, making opening it next to impossible. Shaking in terror, the figure turned to see her devourer standing before her, seemingly studying his prey as his image was engraved into her mind. How could she not? Her Death stood before her, what could one do but stare at it, mesmerized?

Black leathery cloak with spikes lining the head and a blood red spatter lining the edges. A demon face hidden in the shadows of the hood with red eyes glowing hungrily and his jagged mouth fixed in a scowl, but the scowl was still lit like the fires of Hell lapping at the crack of the Gates to the Infernal Pits. A long and slithering tongue licked a tooth, his insatiable soul-thirst showing even more. His arms were bones, mostly devoid of flesh from previous events she knew nothing of. One was just bone, but the left arm was charred black. She could still feel the heat on it. His tail waved ominously behind him, made of dark grey-black demon flesh with an axe-like blade at the end. His legs and feet were humanoid with the same flesh but with blade-like claws instead of nails. She couldn't help noting the several red eyes on his flesh, but none looked at her.

Clone was also studying her, in a way. If he had all of his memories, he would say she was a witch and a young one at that, as she stood even shorter than him. Her green face was clean of boils and any other blemish, her eyes watching him in terror. Her mind had already accepted the inevitable, as she didn't make a single move. Her soul wasn't much, but it would make a decent meal. Not to mention...it smelled very tasty.

With a smirk now on his face, he reached out with his right arm, almost agonizingly slow for the young witch. Her eyes were wide and shaking as the Prince of Death poised to take her pathetic soul, his bone fingers inches from her face. A lone tentacle slithered on down from his shoulder, wrapping in and around his skeleton arm. It creeped out past his hand and she flinched as it touched her cheek. Suddenly, her terror was doubled. Behind the figure of Demonic Demise, The Lord of All Hallow's Eve faded out of the shadows of her ceiling like a silent Angel of Horror. He made not a sound as his long legs stepped onto the bed and dresser on the other side of the room. His face was distorted with an angry yet silent roar as he reached out his arms to tear asunder the Demon Reaper. Starring at her Death and her King, the witch wasn't sure who scarred her more...

What happened next made her faint. Clone's smirk grew as he spun around, his tentacle grabbing the hilt of the Sword of Tengu and causing it to spark to life as it was ripped out of the door and slashed across a great arc, burying into the skeleton's chest as the force from the blow forced him to stand between Junior and the window wall. Jack saw the smirk and knew his nephew had him. All the Pumpkin King did was give a snarling scowl as Clone sent a great bolt from the sword directly into his body, sending him flying through and out the wall. Clone sighed in relief as he walked to the new hole in the wall, looking down for his fallen foe. He snorted in annoyance as he saw the large crack in the ground caused by the Reaper-Beast's stomping, providing an opening right into the sewers below. He doubted the skeleton had given up the ghost.

He paused to look back at the witch, unconscious from pure fear. He could have reaped her with his axe-tail when he spun on the skeleton, but he hadn't. He was wearing out, he could feel it. The constant regeneration and fighting was starting to wear him out faster than he could refill himself with souls. The other skeleton's arm was not giving him the great boost he hoped it would yet. For some reason, it was digesting slowly. Still, as small as this female soul was, it would work to his advantage.

He glanced down at the watery underground passage way again before turning back to her as he remembered his new conclusion, his answer to his whys. The beings that fought him- the Red-Eye, the Horse-Faces, the Ghosts, etc.- did not hate him because they were the predators of this land and he was on their territory; it was nothing personal. Prey hate and/or fear Predators for hunting them and Predators fight for the right to hunt somewhere. Hate was something they were too busy for. That made sense to him. They didn't want him to hunt here and he had been too angry and hungry to care. Everyone else just hated being on the menu.

Without another thought, he turned and jumped into the gutters of the ruined town, leaving the witch's fate up to whatever chances await her this night. After all, the fate of a gluttonous dragon is to ultimately starve...

**In the Reaper-Beast**

Junior was officially in defensive mode now. All throughout this battle, if one could call it that, there had been few true variables he couldn't account for in terms of power. The people of this land were not very powerful and easy prey in all regards. The flaming-horsemen were a challenge, but they were all about equal in power. The green one with the mace and 'Uncle Nergal' were far more formidable foes, but like rocks in a river, even they would fall to the undying clones and their Chief Clone.

Then there were the Ghosts. Both strong, one now on Junior's _**'Eat Slowly and Painfully'**_ list, but the other that was now in his 'Belly' avoided fighting for some reason. Junior would call him a coward on that one if it weren't for the absence of the fear that the specter should possess in such a situation as this. The red-eyed one had been the biggest variable to him for most of the battle. Analytically, there was nothing to worry about, she was just a very skilled soul. But Junior was a creature of instinct, not intellect. And his instincts were what told him two things- she was the enemy Alpha and she was very, VERY dangerous- and his instincts had been right so far in those regard.

The skeletons though, they had been the least of his concerns for the longest time now. They both had power, great power, but he sensed something...something trying to...hide their powers? Suppress them? He didn't know. All he knew was that the power levels they used for the fighting was not a great threat in the long run. Now...something was different, with both of them. They were showing more and more of the true power he sensed deep within. It was like the surface of eggs chipping away...to reveal the full grown, snarling dragons within.

Now, with the stronger of the two skeletons fighting his very soul, and the other one fighting his very drained clone, Junior was trying to salvage this situation. He really wished Clone had eaten _Uncle Nergal_ instead of kicking him into the sewer, or the Red-eyed one instead of turning her into swiss human. They needed to get more energy soon or dealing with the incoming army would be a very tedious thing. And to be honest, he was getting tired of hunting in this place...he was getting tired in general, actually...

He was brought out of his musing as Grim slammed his scythe down on the trident that Junior had acquired from one of the tentacles of the armory that his 'Belly' had become. Unlike earlier, the scythe came down with such force that it cracked the trident; that had been happening a lot. The reaper was systematically breaking every weapon Junior brought to his defense. There were still many weapons, but this was proving fruitless.

His eyes went wide as...something...punched him in the gut. If he were human, he'd be spitting and pissing blood now. As it was, he was just gasping in more pain than he thought he could feel. He grasped his stomach, his spirit-hoodie slashed up where the impact was made and glared up at the smirking reaper, narrowing his eyes as he "saw" it. Junior wasn't sure what 'it' actually was, just that it was substituting Grim's arm. It was a large and bulky mass emerging from the reaper's shoulder, formed into a large hand with stubby, claw-like fingers. Whatever it was, it was clear in color and was only visible by a dark-tented distortion on the objects viewed through it. Junior was suddenly very happy all these tentacles were here or he wouldn't have been able to see it at all within the already pitch black stomach of the Reaper-Beast.

"Not often I have ta use dis in person, Son," Grim said with a smirk, his long 'arm' flexing in an almost complete circle. "Las time I did dis was against Alcaeus...Let's see if ya do beder dan de man dat dragged me dog out of de underworld!" The Lord of Death declared as he cocked his elastic-like ethereal-arm back. It shot forward so fast and was already so close that Junior knew he couldn't dodge. The arm hit him again...and his blood-curdling scream of pain echoed throughout the night.

**Land of Tainted Souls**

"Damn," His Infernal Majesty muttered from his conjured-up armchair, watching the battle through a demonic screen with the greatest of interest. The destruction, the carnage, and the pure rage the boy excluded! The heir of his greatest enemies had become his greatest ally in this last hour, and without even knowing it. Still, Mandy wasn't the Bitch Queen of the Underworld for nothing and had made a plan that put the hybrid at a disadvantage. Still, her boy had pushed her farther than anyone ever had during her reign and had even done what many thought impossible; he had killed her. If he hadn't had that brief lapse back in madness, he would have devoured her...Though, he supposed that was a good thing long term. A Demon-Reaper with Mandy's soul in his arsenal? That could probably be too problematic, even for HIM.

He sat in a cave in his realm, a little getaway his arachnid servant had set up. Said spider was standing nearby, watching and shivering all the while. Mimi, HIM's daughter, was watching the events on the screen with occasional surprise on her otherwise blank face. She was tasked with both keeping an eye on the still unconscious angel, now pinned by webbing to a wall, as well as keeping their captive in a semi-trance of sorts. Speaking of which, the soul of Minnie stood by the lobster-claw-handed demon's seat with red-glazed over eyes. Even with the magic of HIM and HER keeping her conscious mind subdued, she still wept silently with no facial change, as she watched her brother tear the town asunder like a child-god of war.

"Grim Junior certainly has surpassed all expectations," HIM praised as he leaned on his cane, starring at the screen contemplatively. "But it seems that he has stretched his power too thin to defeat and devour Death himself, especially with the old fool Clockwork giving backup," He deduced, not being able to see within the Reaper-Beast, but taking the lack of movement from the great abomination that Grim Junior was not doing well against Grim Senior.

"L-lord HIM? Are y-y-you sure it was a good idea to take her soul?" Jeff asked worriedly and privately wanting to send the poor girl back to her family and wanting this all to end. However, he had learned long ago not to directly say such things to the red demon lord. HIM appreciated a silver tongue after all, and wouldn't punish implications he didn't like without a warning…usually.

"No," HIM answered, to his servant's and daughter's shock. "It was the only idea, really. This girl is the only direct link to the boy I can use and therefor the only chance to turn the boy to our side, as a beast or not," He explained, truly not sure what Junior's mental state would evolve into in time. He could stay a beast or return to some form of sentiency.

"So, this is your doing then, fiend," The Redeemer accused, now awakened from his forced slumber. Mimi was about to use her trusty STFU iron when her father raised a claw to stop, smirking at the screen. "I knew the boy's soul wasn't tainted enough for this level of godless slaughter and butchery."

HIM did something he rarely did; he laughed. He honestly laughed so hard he might have fallen out of the chair without the cane to hold onto, "Ohhh, I assure you, choirboy, I wish- I truly _**WISH **_I could say that I am responsible for this! Such terror, such bloodlust, such hatred and madness, such hopelessness!" He cheered with enthusiasm, before sighing dramatically and reclining back into the chair. "But alas, if there's one thing I hate, it's to take credit of an atrocity that isn't mine- unless said credit is offered, of course. Perhaps you just didn't look deep enough into his soul," HIM said cryptically before smiling evilly.

"What do you speak of with your trickster words, foul beast?!" The angel demanded, glaring through his mask, pulling against the admittedly strong webbing coating him almost completely.

"Just because I didn't cause it, doesn't mean I didn't know the potential that dwelt within that Reaper's soul," HIM explained simply, feeling the stare of the angel that tried to piece together something he wasn't getting. "Though, it's really YOU I must be thanking, Phil Timper," HIM said, grinning at the near unnoticeable flinch. "Yes, I know who you are- or were rather- and all your trips into juvy. Then you went and got religious and started helping the needy," HIM said in a mocking and disgusted tone. "But we're not here to talk about what you did, but what you've just done," The Infernal Tempter said wickedly.

"Speak plainly, twister of words and souls!" Redeemer demanded as HIM sighed in utter annoyance.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? That beast, that boy is going to destroy Heaven, Hell, and everything in between...and it's your fault!" He declared, smirking triumphantly.

"I had nothing to do with the mayhem caused by that reaper-child!" The holy warrior protested, wishing his glare was enough to burn the clawed-demon with heavenly flames.

"You had everything to do with it!" HIM retorted, his voice taking on an echoing quality that demanded silence as he glared over the top of his shades at the righteous soldier of heavens, "The blame for this boy's madness and all he slays from this day onward rest squarely on three souls and only three souls. Oogie Boogie, who kidnapped the boy and killed his sister, all in attempt to acquire power that he could never comprehend. You...you who took a little girl from her home and brother, regardless of if it were to a supposed paradise. Said brother, new to demonic power that is infused into his reaper powers, sits helplessly as the, oh so righteous Warrior of Heaven forces his sister to leave him. What did you THINK would happen? Did you think that would be the end of it? Ha! The arrogance of the Heavens truly knows no bounds," HIM said, distaste clear in his voice.

"And who are you to speak of such things, when you have done far worse to your own?!" The angel retorted, "I did my duty, I took a pure soul out of these pits!"

HIM shrugged without care, "The difference, fool, is that I don't pretend that what I do is for some greater good or that who's name I do it in makes it any less an evil. Hypocrisy always smelled horrible to me and Heaven reeks of it. As for the girl's purity, you should really get your eyes checked," He answered plainly and bluntly, than sighing before his captive could give a retort. "Enough of this." He ordered, waving his claw at Mimi as he sat back in his chair.

"Wait! You said three souls?" The angel asked hurriedly. Although he refused to believe this trickster's version of things, he preferred hearing all of a lie to better understand the liar.

"If you haven't figured that out then you really don't need to know," The Lord of the Land of Tainted Souls answered simply, sitting back in his chair as his daughter slammed the iron into the holy soul's face, knocking him back into unconsciousness.

Jeff gulped as he watched the exchange silently. He hadn't seen HIM like this in a long time. To anyone else, it might seem normal for the ex-crossdresser, but to those that had been forced to endure more constant exposure to the devil's personality, the difference was almost tangible; the way he walked, the way he talked. This was probably about as close to genuinely happy as he got. And a happy HIM was bad news for everyone. Jeff had thought about releasing the angel, but he knew that without something to keep HIM from noticing and to distract Mimi, he knew it would be a futile attempt that would just end in his own death, or worse, and possible trouble for Mimi.

The arachnid was brought out of his musing as a pain-filled scream echoed from the TV, shaking the cave lightly to his and Mimi's amazement. His Infernal Majesty just frowned at the screen with narrowed eyes, "And so Death truly brings his own might down against his heir," He said musingly, knowing that Grim Junior was in a pinch. His chief Clone was doing better, but the real one, the very Soul of the Demon-Reaper was being caught up against a Grim Reaper that had obvious lost patience with the boy. "Never thought I'd be helping a Grim in this millennia," He added in light and twisted amusement as he grasped onto the skull of the weeping and entranced soul, his claw sparking with red devil magic.

Mimi looked from her father to the image of Clone trudging through the sewer. At the scream, his head snapped up with a glare and snarl, unknowingly to where he was being watched from. Mimi gave a small flinch as those red eyes seemed to glare into what was left of her soul. She visibly relaxed and sighed when he looked away and ran off for his prey. Jeff, seeming to understand what she was thinking of, placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. He really hoped the Raging Demon-Reaper didn't come here...

**Halloween Town Sewers**

Okay, now Clone was pissed. Even now as he searched the murky labyrinth beneath the city's feet for his prey, he still knew and could faintly feel what was happening to his true self and it was pissing him off. How cowardly and spineless was that bag of bones to keep his power hidden, sneak into the Reaper-Beast body, and unleash it onto his SOUL. It was like the mere thought of the craven act made him want to hurl up the dastard's arm!

Realizing the futility of his aimless and enraged searching, he came to a dead stop as his final steps echoed throughout the tunnels. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply and slowly through his nose. The hundreds of smells bombarded his nostrils like rain. The putrid smell of bodily wastes, the countless vermin covered in more filth than they would care to remember, and everything else dumped into this monster-made cesspool. Then there were the more recent smells.

The smell of blood was the most predominant scent. Most of it belonged to the Horse-faced warriors or to himself and his clones. Some of it belonged to more local inhabitants, but it was overpowered by the rest; then his nose found the smell…the smell of Death and bones, the scent of the skeleton. Then he picked up another scent...a familiar one. One that made him snap his eyes open in a small burst of rage.

Like an executioner to the gallows, he walked at an ominous and steady pace through the foul sewage, with an almost regal grace about him. The world seemed dead to him in that moment, heading towards his kill…he did not know how long or how many turns it took him to arrive at his destination. He paused as he rounded the corner, taking in the sight. There, groaning on his side was _Uncle Nergal_. Or what was left of him.

His legs were still wrecked, but it was obvious that he had wrapped several tentacles around them to try and support himself in an effort to walk. His wings were still not healed and wouldn't return for a long while now. The right arm hadn't even attempted to reform. His darker-green blood pulled around him in the lime green sewage water. It was pathetic, seeing a great warrior in such a state. Clone doubted the half-breed could even see the red-eyed reaper through the emerald blood blinding his eyes. In Clone's mind, killing him would be more of a mercy at this point than anything else.

One of Clone's still fleshless arms reached for the Sword of Tengu, hanging from his back by a few tentacles, and then stopped. Even with his intelligence and memories limited, the idea of using a lightning sword in ankle-deep liquid still came across as a bad idea. He knew no simple shock would harm him significantly, but he was already running low on energy. Unless he started eating rats again, he couldn't afford to waste any right now, no matter how insignificant.

He blinked as something made his head-thorns stand on end. He looked over his shoulder, down the tunnel, but saw nothing. Yet his instincts still said something was wrong. His head snapped to his left as he heard a screeching metal sound…there was nothing there either. He snorted and decided to finish off 'Uncle Nergal' then deal with whatever he was sensing and hearing. His eyes went wide as he saw that the injured demon was nowhere to be seen.

Again, Clone didn't feel fear in its true form, but he had the oddest feeling that he had just walked into a trap.

There was another screeching noise, and Clone wasn't sure where this one came from. What was it? A beast? No, not unless it was made of metal. Clone snapped around as he got that feeling again, and finding nothing there again. Then, he sniffed curiously as his sense of smell caught something. There beneath all the filth, death, and blood, was the answer to the mystery. He spun around and launched a ghost ball down the tunnel, lighting the darkness as it went. He barely saw the figure phase through the wall; it was the ghost.

But what was he doing? The ghost was no coward; he had been reveling in the battle. Yet here he was, playing some game of hiding and sneaking. Clone snarled as another metallic screech grated against his ear drums, echoing throughout the catacombs. What were they up to!? He blinked as he saw something from one of the clones. He saw the skeleton leaping and crawling around a large crack in the ground. As another screech came about, he realized the reality of his predicament.

He tried to take off running, but the minute he got to an intersection, he was shot by a ghost beam, "Just where do you think you're off to, maggot?" Dan asked, smirking as he popped his knuckles. "The party is just getting started!" He declared, sending an ecto-energy wave at the replica. Clone dodged to the side, barely, as the wave hit into a wall. He didn't have time to truly notice Dan now next to him until the Phantom was punching him with a ecto-energy enhanced punch, sending him several feet back, "Sorry about not giving you the first class treatment earlier," Dan apologized mockingly, rolling his shoulders as Clone glared at him from down the tunnel. "But being locked up for a few decades will give you some damn annoying cramps," He explained as the clone continued to glare at him.

_**"'Uncle Nergal?'"**_Clone inquired, spitting out the name of his defeated foe like it was a curse, wondering where the near-corpse of a body had gone.

"The tentacle guy?" Dan asked, chuckling as a white ring formed around him at the waist that then became two which traveled up and down him in opposite directions. As the rings passed over the ghost, Clone had a gob smacked expression under his hood, for Dan Phantom now had the form of an injured yet smirking Nergal Junior, "I have more than a few tricks of my own, kid," The transformed Dan warned in his own voice, just as Clone was hit in the back by a white ghost ray, sending him flying forward, right into Dan's knee.

The ghost changed back as Clone turned to see who attacked him and saw...another Dan approaching? "You're not the only one with clones!" Both Phantoms yelled, giving Clone a double punch to the face. They were ecto-enhanced, but they didn't need to be. Phantom could lift a tank on pure ghostly muscle and Clone got a double sampling of said strength.

Clone landed on all fours with an enraged snarl as he glared at the identical smirking pair. He gave a mental _'screw it'_ to this whole situation as he reached for the sword and swung it at them, two beams flying at his foes. One, presumably the original, ducked out of the way and phased through a wall. The other put up a shield of purple ectoplasm in an effort to stop the attacks. It held for all of five seconds before cracking and shattering, the Phantom clone disappearing as the shot ran him through.

_'Damn, was hoping that blade couldn't break my shields,'_ Dan thought, floating in another area of the sewers. Now that the Reaper-Beast was out of his hands, he decided to deal with this bad boy of a clone. There were two issues though; one was knowing the limits of the Clone. The other was that he was severely out of shape, in a sense. He was still one if not the most powerful ghost to ever exist, but being so long in that thermos-and God only knows how much time had actually passed in Clockwork's realm- had left him and his power stiff and groggy. Back in his own timeline, he would have fought this thing toe to toe all day long. But now he was screwing up in more than a few ways. Still, like riding a bike, it was all starting to come back to him.

Shaking off his musing, he thought about how to deal with Clone a bit longer. That sword could harm him even if he was intangible, but thankfully its beams detonated on impact with walls. He got a nasty smirk on his face as he heard another screeching noise and saw Clone out of the corner of his eye, charging at him and electrocuting the sewer water as he went,_ 'Bring it on, kid.' _He thought mockingly as he craned his neck to barely dodge a beam aimed at his head.

Clone leapt at him and the blade was just about to slice through Dan's skull when...it did. Only it didn't cut through ectoplasmic flesh. Instead, it went right through the grey-green gas that Dan's body had become. The red-theme Nergal hybrid growled in annoyance as he tried to fruitlessly attack Dan's gaseous body. The evil ghost just laughed mockingly and grabbed Clone's sword-wielding arm by the wrist. Four more of himself suddenly phased through the floor and quickly stuck their hands out, green ectoplasm wrapping around the axe-tailed child, like snakes in the form of chains.

Clone growled wrathfully as he was restrained. If it was just one of them, he could probably break free, but the four clones and the original were pumping enough energy into the glowing green chains that any cracks he made were fixed quickly. He raised an eyebrow as Dan formed his ectoplasm into what looked like a gauntlet on each hand. With a sadistic smirk, Dan grabbed the axe-tail that was about to slice the chains and then tore it off, making Clone howl in agony as his spine almost went with the tail. Taking advantage of his enemy's pain, Dan used his protected hands to pry the Sword of Tengu out of Clone's clawed hands, breaking at least two fingers backwards in the process.

Still smirking, Dan held the sword and grimaced as he quickly realized that it's zapping would rip through his gauntlets in short time. With that in mind, he pointed it upwards and blasted the ceiling with it. He and his replicas quickly flew away as a large piece of the stone roof fell down onto the still bound and now wide eyed Clone. Dan threw the blade away and grinned in victory as the dust cleared, seeing the head of the young monstrosity poking out from the pile. Dan was brought out of his musing as another screeching sound rang out, followed by a very sharp and loud whistle.

"Well, that's my signal," Dan murmured as his doubles raced off at high speeds, phasing through walls. The ghost that never existed gave one last smirk to the hybrid and stomped on the rubble. The battered Clone glared up in weak defiance, "Sorry I couldn't finish you off, but look at it this way. You'll have one hell of a tombstone!" Dan joked with a evil laugh before tilting his head back and letting out a ghostly wail, as did his own clones from their various locations, shaking Halloween Town at its very foundation. Dan himself stopped to give one last laugh before letting out the wail again, firing it at Clone's face. Dan swore he saw the red glow of the eyes and mouth flicker off and on a few times. He took this as a sign that the clone was finally dying and smirked before shooting up and phasing through the street. As he did, the sewer began to cave in, burying Clone in as at least an entire town block collapsed on him...

_**Nowhere**_

HIM stood in a world of white. It was not the pure white of the Holy Heavens, but the white of nothingness; a blank world. The only blemishes were the small shadows beneath him, seemingly struggling to exist themselves in this realm. With the utmost calm about him, the red demon slowly scanned his surroundings for anything out of place, moving slow as if he would disturb something if he moved too quickly or suddenly. Even his cane he held at the staff, showing no intent to use it, for show or not. He gave out a curious hum when he had turned around completely and saw nothing.

Then he smirked with a small chuckle that echoed throughout the blank realm. He calmly and slowly turned back to see what he had been looking for, seemingly appearing from nowhere. There kneeled MiniMandy, looking almost like she had never died…almost. She was dressed in her green dancer outfit, complete with red-brown legging and black shoes. As she knelt, she let out these odd sounds that seemed like moaning and weeping, but in slow motion. They echoed as though they were the only thing that existed. The image was both completed and disturbed by the utterly helpless and sorrowful look in her single grey eye.

Minnie's right eye was gone. Out from the eye socket, many small tentacles emerged, with an empty black hole visible in the middle, a mocking imitation of a real eye. It almost looked like they were still wiggling and crawling out at agonizingly slow pace. They went around the side of her head and down the side of her face, traveling and wrapping around her right arm and side like some kind of half-finished costume. His Infernal Majesty followed the length of the appendages onto the floor, noting that they got larger and seemed to branch off and multiply. HIM followed their path and found that they led right to and around his feet and past him, seemingly always there. He made no sign of being surprised or alarmed by this. With the same caution as before, he gradually turned back around and never took his eyes off the tentacles.

He followed the path of scaled flesh as sounds of the bemoaning Nergal-child disappeared and he saw where the tetecles led, his gaze rested upon a sight that made the red demon grin, "And I gazed upon a blackness so deep that only _The Dark _could have been the genesis of such a heinous being," He iterated, approaching It. "Within It, I could behold naught but the red orbs of a beast, lurking in wait. What lay within, I cannot guess and can only dream and wonder. For only _The Dark_ can see the design of the unrealized. The aphotic soul towered as high as the loxodonta steeds of the savanna, yet the crimson gaze could not have been higher than I! Of the edges, I thought my sight might have spied something slithering. A snake? A worm? Or perhaps something far more sinister?" He continued as he came to stand just before it, starring appraisingly.

"I stood before this blackness and could not help being filled with relief. Ally or Foe, Beast or Warrior! The mere fact that such beings can still be bred anew into these realms...Such assurances grant me release from the creeping despair of stagnation!" HIM declared, holding out his arms like a preacher reaching out to embrace his congress. He lowered his arms and continued, "The eyes, blazing with neither hate nor kindness nor respect nor fear, rested on me in mere acknowledgement. I said onto that terrible, abeyant pneuma, _'Your battle will be lost, Child. Your foes are Time, Evil, and Death themselves, and many more! You are not yet ready to face such things alone. Care for the assistance of this old Lord of Sin?'_" HIM went on, smirking as he said his final part, his claw stretched out slightly. "And the reply to me was..."

There was a long silence that rang throughout the realm and it was deafening. Not even a breath could be heard, if another was there to witness this event. HIM did not look alarmed or confused or even angered by the lack of answer. He merely gave a chuckle, smiling devilishly as he turned as if to leave, tapping his cane for the first time and the tap echoed like thunder. The Lord of the Underworld only smirked as he was met with the same red eyes inches from his face when he fully turned, "And the reply to me was...?" HIM repeated, more prompting and questioning as those orbs just stared on, as if judging him.

**In the Reaper-Beast**

Grim fought the urge to break down as he took in the sight of his son. Junior's soul was breathing heavily as it stood on all fours, struggling to stay up as his solid red eyes glared defiantly yet weakly. His body and outfit were cover in lacerations, the blood of his soul soaking and caking his flesh. If Junior were truly human, he'd be dead right now. Every nerve in Grim's body felt disgusted with himself for doing this and it took everything he had not to rush to his child's aid. Still, he put on a mask of confidence, not daring to give Junior the edge and let him sink any deeper into this madness. All around him, the tentacles laid and twitch in their own agony, all ripped asunder by the ethereal power of Death, pools and geysers of green blood forming everywhere.

Nergal Senior, his arm and neck healed, knelt by Clockwork to keep an eye on the ageless ghost. He may not like Grim, but he couldn't help feeling sympathy for the old bag of bones. To be in a situation where a parent had strike at one's own child as if they were an enemy...he could not imagine the heart wrenching that would cause a parent that truly loved their child. And it wasn't just the fighting...If Nergal Senior had done anything like this to his own child, he wouldn't be able to bear to look the boy in the eye again, remembering his handiwork every time. It sent a shiver down the old demon's spine.

Clockwork opened his eyes groggily. He hadn't suffered an attack in a long time and a blast from the Sword of Tengu was a bit much for him. He groaned and slowly floated off the floor, faintly hearing Nergal Senior saying something to him that didn't quite register. He grabbed his staff on pure instinct before looking up at the carnage that had taken place in his absence and rubbed his head as he tried to clear his head and re-grasp the situation. He looked almost shocked at the injured form of Grim Junior and gained a perplexed look as he saw Grim Senior approaching the boy's soul, seemingly to reap him.

Clockwork knew that Grim would die before doing that. That was obvious to anyone that knew the man of Death personally. He knew that Grim would just knock out the boy and he also knew that that would get things back on relative track. Yet with every good path, there were possible bad turns in them. And Clockwork's acquaintance with pain had left his mind a bit foggy on what all those turns might be. The boy was too spent for most of the ones he knew. Yet he had this sickly feeling that there was one he was not seeing yet. And with the Reaper's Scythe raised high, he was out of time to realize what it could be...

**Elsewhere**

"Seems your interference was not needed after all, Love," Eris commented, sounding relieved for once that a scene of chaos was coming to an end.

The man on the throne raised an eyebrow at that claim, "What makes you think that, O Goddess of Discord?" He asked, in a knowing voice, his gaze never leaving the pool.

This inquiry put the golden haired goddess on edge. What had she overlooked?! "His head clone, his most powerful warrior is dead and buried. His army is running out of steam and about to face the full might of one of Mandy's armies, his behemoth body is crippled, and his soul within it is growing weaker and weaker now. He's cornered, out of tricks, out of steam, outnumbered, out gunned, and out of time. I doubt even all the deities of war and victory could turn the tables of this battle if they wanted," Eris reasoned, keeping her voice calm.

"Ahhh, yes. If he were anyone else, I too would be sure that his defeat was assured now. If he were anyone else, I wouldn't even be worried. If he were anyone else, I doubt he would have never gotten this far." He answered before sighing, "But there's still one problem, one thing in his corner...One thing that makes all the difference and trumps even the favor of the gods," He added ominously, glaring lightly into the bowl.

"And what is that?" Eris asked, trying to sound offended, but the curiosity and worry bled out.

With a grave and all too serious tone, he answered her, "That boy has too much of his father in him."

_**Nowhere**_

HIM simply nodded as he received his answer, "I bidded farewell to that most eldritch rudiment, and the greatest of luck with his apocalypse, before taking my leave," He said with a small, satisfied smirk as he turned one last time and began walking into the white nothingness, his body beginning to dissolve into red smoke.

The Demon Lord almost stopped when he heard something, just before he vanished from the realm. Something he didn't expect, "May_ The Dark _haunt you eternally...Kare."

**End of Chapter**

I keep escalating the word count on chapters! This was over eight thousand without this AN and Review Responses. So, as you can all see the fight is starting to come to it's end. It should all be finished by next chapter, depending on how long I make it. Also, yes, I had Dan pull out some of his movie powers. I figured he'd think to use them at some point during this little war. Someone is watching out for Mandy and is connected to Eris. Pain got Mandy's corpse off the tentacle. Jack is injured, but apparently going alright, while a little witch almost got her soul scared out of her. Clone is down, possibly 'dead' even. Grim is pulling out his tricks, but is having emotional trouble fighting Junior in such a brutal way. HIM chews out the Redeemer and has a meeting with something in the middle of Nowhere.

To clarify a few things- Loxodonta is the scientific name for the African Elephant. Alcaeus is the birth name of Herakles. HIM's "name" is thought to be short for "His Infernal Majesty." Kare is the Japanese word for 'him', basically, and what the japanese version of the PPG called him- but the name has other purposes here as well.(hint) Three people had been the Redeemer in "Spawn Canon" and most people say that GT's Redeemer is Eddie Frank, but I like Phil Timper for it more. And just to make this clear, Dan's gas form is like his normal intangibility times itself- if an attacks hits that form, it can probably hit anything. Also, HIM can't see inside the Reaper-Beast, so anything he says regarding Grim Senior and his situation in there is simply best guess on HIM's part

Last few things here. Clone's reasoning is NOT meant to be perfectly sound. It makes sense to him and that's enough for him at the moment. He just wanted an answer to the Whys and that cleared things up in his animal mindset. Second, Clockwork's slight memory problem in relation to Timestreams- it's like any other kind of knockout people, everything doesn't always immediately come to you. Next, Dan's "Uncle Nergal" transformation- it's never revealed if he can turn into anything other than his younger self, but it seems likely he could. As for HIM's rant/ripping into Redeemer and the 'three souls to blame' thing, take that however you want.

**QTP:** Who is watching the fight with Eris, and why can't He come into the Underworld? What did he do to help? Who was the little witch and will we see her again? Is Clone dead and buried now? Will Junior fall to Grim Senior's scythe(blunt side regardless) or was there really a path Clockwork couldn't remember in time? Who was the third soul HIM spoke of? Will Jeff try something brave/stupid? Why did Mimi of all people flinch? Is the Grim Clan really going to able to get over this night, assuming their collective survival? Who is Grim Junior's father and what does he have to do with this/anything? What 'assistance' was HIM offering in Nowhere?

Lastly, if any of you readers/reviewers think you know or have an idea of what the _**Nowhere **_scenes are about than feel free to take a stab at it- WHAT _**Nowhere**_ is exactly, what HIM went there for, why he was talking like that, what he saw and described, what the reply to his offer was, who spoke to him at the end, etc.


End file.
